Guardians of the Chosen One: Kanto
by germanwarrior96
Summary: On the day Ash Ketchum starts out on his journey, two mysterious girls show up with their family at Professor Oak's lab. Upon receiving his Pokemon, the girls decided to join him on his journey. Many adventures await the small group but are the girls really only what they appear to be? ** We do not own pokemon or its characters* Only ocs.
1. The Journey

In a far away region, that is hidden from those who may wish harm, live two girls who are more than they seem. In a nice cottage by the water was a woman who had short blonde hair. She was popping some oran berries into her mouth as she was watching one of her favorite shows on the television. All of a sudden the backdoor that was made of glass, slid open to reveal another woman with a lucario by her side. A smile was on her face.

"Morning!" She said in an overly cheerful tone that was abnormal for the woman. The lucario just raised a brow at her tone.

The woman who was sitting down rose her own brow before giving off a chuckle. "Morning, what got you so happy Michelle?" She asked.

"I know i'm not normally a morning person..but...TODAY"S THE DAY!" Michelle said quite normally at the beginning but ended the answer with a giant squeal.

" Oh yeah, today is the day we set off on our journey to meet up with our cousin, Ash Ketchum." The woman nodded with a chuckle.

"Hey Luke, are you excited?" Michelle asked as she turned to the lucario that was standing beside her. His arms were crossed while his eyebrow was raised. He just gave a shrug and a small grunt like noise. Michelle gave him a look,"Really? Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed or something?" She asked. Luke just gave her a small smirk before looking away.

Selene, the woman on the couch, she just shook her head with a small laugh of her own before she grabbed the remote and turned off the tv. She then proceeded to stand up and grabbed the bowl of berries that were next to her. Michelle quickly reached in and stole a berry or two before giving one to Luke. "So, what is the plan? If we even have a plan." She chuckled as she went into the kitchen to put the berries away.

"Mrs. Kasumi, said she would give us a ride to Kanto, and we were going to meet Ash at Professor Oak's lab, at least that was what I thought we were going to do." Michelle said as she put her hand over her mouth in thought.

"Yeah, we should head over there now then? Or do you still need to pack?" Selene asked as she returned to her and Luke.

"No, I've got everything, I just need to grab it and say good bye to my parents. By the way, are Nero and Lottie coming with us? I know Luke is," Michelle responded before looking over to Luke who gave a nod.

Selene nodded,"Yeah, right now they are by my parents. They are in the fields right now. I should go and grab them. I'll meet you down by the docks?" She asked.

Michelle nodded before Luke and her went through the door that they came in and went out of view. Selene then went out of another door and headed towards a field in the distance. She grabbed her invention, a bag that can hold many objects due to a pocket dimension. She was an inventor just like her many fathers before her. It didn't take her long before she had reached her mother who was in some farmer's garb. A small shovel was in her hand. Charlotte, a small girl with long blonde hair was eagerly watching her mother as she was planting some seeds onto the ground.

"Charlotte, where's Nero...and dad?" Selene asked as she looked around.

Charlotte quickly straightened up before looking at her sister with bright eyes and big smile. "Nero is helping Dad make new rows for berries!" As if on cue, a rather large Haxorus was coming down beside them with her father behind him. The Haxorus was pulling a machine that made the rows.

"You ready to go Nero?" Selene asked the Haxorus. He just gave a grunt and a nod as he took off the ring that was around his body. He walked over to Charlotte and bent down on one knee so the little girl can go and climb onto his back. Selene's smile widened. "Awesome, it's about time we get to travel out of our region. Come on, let's go, we don't want Michelle and Luke to wait. "

"Now hold on a second Selene, did you pack everything?" Asked her father who came to his wife's side and crossed his arms.

Selene gave a small groan before nodding. "Yes dad, I'm not sixteen anymore." Nero gave Selene a look and a huff escaped his lips. Selene sheepishly added, "No..offense."

"That doesn't mean anything Selene, I need to make sure that you have everything with you. I don't want you to regret not bringing anything on this journey of yours."

"I know, I know, here, have a look." HIs daughter said as handed him the bag. He put his hand in the bag and shuffled it about. He then pulled out a few maps, a gps system machine, tent, flashlight, clothes, and a few other survival things. Not to mention various food supplies and medical items.

"Good, now just give me a hug and you can go." Her father chuckled before handing her the bag. Selene just rolled her eyes playfully before bringing her dad into a hug. The father's eyes went a bit big as he felt Nero wrap his arms around him and lifting him up slightly off the ground. "Nero...I know you like hugs too but can you please put me down."

Nero nodded and put him down before Charlotte smiled. "Bye Daddy! I'll miss you and momma too!

Selene nodded before the small group of three made their way down towards the docks. Michelle was with Luke and they were waiting a bit impatiently. "Sorry, dad had to go all soft on me."

"Well that isn't anything new, Uncle Helios can be a bit protective sometimes." Michelle replied.

Selene nodded, she was about to turn when she heard her parent's voices in the distance. She looked around spotted her parents and her Aunt and Uncle coming down the path towards them.

"Mom? Dad? I thought we already said goodbye," Michelle said in confusion.

The slightly tall man who was wearing his farmer garb came to them first. "We all wanted to give you all a last hoorah. It's a big step for young ones to travel out of the region." He said as he ran his hand through his short white hair. His brown eyes looking at his niece before looking to the rest of the group.

"And what about you Aunt Lea and Uncle Allen?" Selene asked as she looked to Michelle's parents.

"Well we didn't get to say goodbye to you, now did we?" The tan man said as he chuckled. HIs black dreadlocks swaying slightly as he nodded. His red eyes full of mirth.

"Yes dears, this is all your first time leaving home without us. We just wanted to make sure that nothing happens when you leave."Lea said as she smoothed out her orange hair. Her soft brown eyes looking at each of them before her.

"Aunt Diane, do you have anything to add? " Michelle asked in amusement as her own red eyes filled with mirth, just like her father. Her long yellow hair streaked with black started to sway in the wind as it started to pick up.

Diane just chuckled before grinning and holding on to her hat a bit. "All I have to say is that the winds are changing in your favor, make sure you use it to your advantage." A knowing grin was on her lips.

"Now Luke, you're in charge of looking after Michelle, make sure nothing bad happens and she continues her training." Her father stated as he pointed a finger at the lucario who just quickly nodded.

" You do the same to Charlotte, Nero, make sure she doesn't end up in any trouble," Added Helios.

Charlotte frowned and quickly folded her arms. "Dad! I'm not little kid anymore, and what about Selene?"

Selene chuckled before looking at her younger sister. "You don't have to worry about me Charlotte, I'll be fine, I just need to keep an eye on you as well. No ifs ands, or buts."

"Don't forget i'm an expert fighter, I can look after her as well!" Chimed in Michelle as she put a hand on her hip and looked at Lottie.

Selene just gave Michelle a quick look and was about to say something when a voice was heard at the end of the dock.

"Alright young ones, time to get going, there is no time to waste."

"Good morning , thanks again for giving us a ride," Michelle said as she started to make her way to the boat that the woman had brought over for them.

"Yes thanks again," Selene said as she headed with Nero and Charlotte by her side. Luke was following after Michelle. The parents just waved goodbye as the boat started to pull away from the dock.


	2. Welcome to Pallet Town

A young boy was watching a battle on his television, putting on his gloves as he watched in anticipation. "Yes! I am Ash!" He said with a grin. "Tomorrow is it! I can finally get my Pokemon license!" He said as he was getting ready. "I will be traveling to gain the wisdom of Pokemon training." He said as he turned his hat backwards. His eyes were filled with determination. "And I hereby declare to the pokemon of the world. I will be a Pokemon master!" He said as he picked up his Voltorb clock and was about to declare his dream.

He was then interrupted by a voice who came to his doorway. "Ash get to bed!" The clock then slipped out of his hand and his mother caught it. It opened up to reveal the time. "It is eleven o'clock! You should be asleep!"

"But tomorrow I start my Pokemon journey," Ash pouts as he sits on his bed and leans on his Snorlax pillow. "But I can't sleep."

"Well if you can't sleep then you should at least get ready for tomorrow. Here." his mom said as she grabbed the remote and changed the channel to where Professor Oak was on the screen. Ash began to watch the show. "Go to bed when this is done, and don't forget to change into your pajamas. You need to sleep, you are meeting your cousins tomorrow."

"Ok….huh? Cousins?"

"Don't tell me you forgot them already. Your cousins Michelle, Selene, and Charlotte are traveling with you. Don't you remember they used to babysit you and Gary when you were younger."

Ash just shook his head.

"Well, you'll just see them tomorrow at Professor Oak's lab, now go to bed."

It was the next day and the girls were heading to the dock at Pallet Beach.

"Finally!" Michelle said as she quickly got off the boat. Luke was just shaking his head as he headed off. Nero was holding Lottie as he stepped off, and Selene was trailing behind them. "I like water as much as the next person but I'm glad that we are here."

Selene nodded as she looked around. "Yeah, I really missed this place. All of our fond memories are already flooding back.." She chuckled.

Nero and Luke nodded, though they turned to see Lottie gasp at what she saw. Her face was shining brightly as her eyes took in everything. "It's sooooo beautiful!" She cooed as she went to bend down by some flowers.

"Yup, you gotta love little towns like this, they aren't as polluted as cities are,"Michelle said as she chuckled at Lottie's expression.

"You shouldn't stay here long, Professor Oak is waiting for you," Miss Kasumi said from the boat as she waved.

"Thank you! We'll see you soon, hopefully! Tell your daughters we say hi!"

The woman nodded and the boat began to leave. Selene then turned to them and smiled. "Shall we?"

Nero nodded as he picked Lottie back up again. Luke grunts a bit and shrugged. Michelle shoved a thermos at him. "Just drink this please, you're always grouchy in the morning without your coffee." Luke just rolled his eyes before taking the thermos and started to sip it slowly so he doesn't burn his mouth. Nero grunts a bit and pointed to Selene who was already at the end of the dock and motioning for them to hurry up.

"We're coming, we're coming.. Sheesh," Michelle muttered as she shook her head and headed towards her cousin. The other three following after her.

The sun was slowly climbing up the sky when they finally reached the lab. As they were coming to the white steps, two boys were leaving with Professor Oak standing in the doorway. One boy who was holding onto his Charmander spotted the two unique pokemon that he never saw before. He quickly ran down the stairs, the other boy in tow with his Bulbasaur. In front of the two boys were the small group. Selene and Michelle just watched in amusement. Lottie just watched in confusement while the boys took out their Pokedex's. They started to try and scan Nero and Luke but it came out as nothing. Pokemon unknown. Pokemon unknown said the Pokedex.

"How is this possible!What kind of Pokemon are these!" The Charmander boy said in amazement as he looked at Nero closely, making the Haxorus growl.

Lottie huffed and placed her hands on her hips. "How do you not know them! This is a Haxorus and this is a Lucario!' She said as she scolded the two unknowing boys.

"Those two Pokemon aren't from around here Lottie," said Professor Oak as he had made his way down the steps and towards them.

"Yeah, this Haxorus is Nero, he's from the Unova Region, and this is Luke, he's from the Sinnoh Region, " Selene tried to explain to them.

"Different regions?" One of them asked.

"Yes, there are many regions outside of Kanto, though I'm sure you'll find that out when you travel," Came a familiar voice.

Michelle and Selene looked behind their shoulders to see Gary, Professor Oak's grandson coming up to them. Just like Ash, the girls had babysat him as well.

"Gary! It's nice to see you," Selene said gently and he just gives a shrug. Michelle just sighed and shook her head.

The boys nodded their heads before looking around. "Thank you but we should get to our families, they would want to see our new Pokemon!" The small group gave a wave as the two left.

"How are you doing Samuel?" Michelle said with a smirk.

Professor Oak chuckled, " I'm doing well, thank you. You guys must be exhausted from your long journey, let's head inside so you can rest until Ash shows up."

"Hey Gramps, can I take my Pokemon now?" Gary asked as he started to follow the group up the stairs.

"Yes Gary, you can have the last one," Professor Oak replied.

"Wait what?!" Michelle asked as she turned to look at him as they got inside and sat down. "You forgot to get more than three again, didn't you."

He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck,"Yes and no."

Gary cuts in. "Hey Gramps, where is it then? " He asked as he looked around.

"Don't be so impatient Gary, It's right here," He said as he took the pokeball from a nearby stand and hands it to his grandson.

Gary grins and aimed at the ground, "Come on out Squirtle." He comes out from the pokeball and smiles at his new trainer. He then kneeled down and said. "I'm going to make you the best Blastoise in the world." The Squirtle grins and nodded. The feeling of arrogance can be felt by everyone in the room Gary then grinned and put his partner back into his pokeball before turning to his grandfather. "I bet Ash won't capture any Pokemon,"

"Can I make an extra bet on him?" Michelle asked Gary.

"Sure, why not."

"I bet the same amount of money that Ash will see a rare Pokemon before he enters Viridian City."

Gary then smirks,"I'll take that bet,"

"Sure Gary, I'll agree to your bet," Professor Oak said. With that, Gary nodded and headed towards the front door to wait for Ash. His pokeball in his hand.

"You really need to work on his attitude Sam," Michelle said to Professor Oak.

"I know but he doesn't listen, I'm sure he'll learn in due time." The professor said in response.

"Probably gets it from his father, no offense," Michelle stated.

Professor Oak nodded and shrugged. When his grandson was out of earshot, he leaned in and looked at Selene. "I see you reached your final evolution, the last time I saw you was when you were a Flaaffy."

Selene grins and nodded as she morphed into her Pokemon form, an Ampharos standing where she was sitting before. She spun around for him to see. Professor Oak grinned. "Wow, astounding!" He then turned to Michelle. "You still a Pikachu?" He asked her.

Michelle's ears and tail came out as she nodded. "I'm not ready for it yet, of course, Selene is carrying all the stones.'

Professor Oak nodded as he put his hand on his chin. "I see," He then turned to Nero and Luke. "I see you two are on trial?" Nero and Luke nodded in response.

"Yeah! They have to go through this for seven more years!" Lottie said as she hugged Nero.

Samuel nodded,"I see, and you must be Lottie, I've heard so much about you." Lottie then smiled and nodded.

"I'm a Smoochum!" Lottie giggled and spun around as she changed into her pokeform. "See!"

Professor Oak nodded and chuckled, though Nero piped up. "Calm down Lottie and change back, we don't want anyone to see you like that."

"Are you finally awake brother of mine?" Michelle asked as she looked at Luke. "You do know that you can use Aura Speech without anyone being suspicious, right?"

"Yes, I know that Michelle," Luke answered. "But you forget that I was woken up extremely early this morning."

"Ok, that was not my fault," she defended. "That was caused by that Magikarp that had been following us."

Professor Oak decided to cut in, "So, did you two decide what you are going to do while traveling with Ash?"

Selene decided to speak, "We decided to help you with your research by being field researchers."

"If that is okay with you?" Michelle asked.

Professor Oak looked ecstatic at the notion. "My girls, I would be delighted to have your help!" He then went over to one of the tables. "Here are two Pokedex's so that you can identify pokemon, send research that you have collected for me and as ids."

"Thanks!" both girls said in unison.

All of a sudden, they heard an all too familiar noise. A noise from a certain mouse Pokemon. The ampharos tilted her head as she changed back to her half form. Selene looked around and spotted Pichu looking up at them with a pokeball in her hands.

"Oh, Pichu, I was about to mention you and your brother," Professor Oak said to the small Pokemon. Samuel then turned to Michelle and Selene. "I caught the Pikachu chewing on some of my wires, this little one is his sister, it seems."

Michelle smiled and squealed as she gently picked up the Pichu. "Aww, you're so cute!" Michelle nuzzled the Pichu's face and the little Pichu sent out a discharged which had no effect,

Professor Oak just blinked and realized that Michelle's ability was Lightning Rod.

"Would you like me to take care of you?" Michelle asked the little Pichu and the small creature lit up happily. Michelle then looked over at the professor with a knowing grin. "Seeing as how your brother is probably going to end up with my cousin."

" _Yes! Yes!"_ the Pichu said to her in her common tongue.

Selene then turned to Professor Oak. "If you don't mind, I'll be tweaking the pokeballs that I get so that the Pokemon we catch will go to our ranch back home,"

Michelle then chuckled,"She already did it to the ones that we have at home and on hand."

Professor Oak just laughed,"That's fine, just getting your research will be fine."

Before anything else was said, the small group heard the chants coming from outside. Michelle and Selene looked at each other before going to their human forms. Michelle then gently took the pokeball from the Pichu and puts it in her bag. The Pichu then scrambled up onto her head.

"What is that?" Nero asked.

"That...is my grandson's farewell crowd" Professor Oak deadpanned before hiding the Pikachu's ball and heading towards the door. Michelle and Selene followed him with Nero, Luke, and Lottie staying in the lab. Lottie was looking at everything in curiosity.

The small group of three came outside only to see the crowd cheering for Gary as he finally stepped out from the house. Ten cheerleaders were doing their routine and saying: GARY, GARY, HE"S OUR MAN! IF HE CAN'T DO IT, NO ONE CAN! GO GARY!"

Michelle facepalmed,"Oh give me a break! I thought we taught him some manners when we babysat him."

Selene sighed,"It seems to only apply to us and that is barely anything."

"Well that is more than most, he doesn't mock us or disrespect us at least."

All of a sudden Ash pushed through the cheerleaders and ran into Gary, still in his pajamas. "Excuse me!" He said.

Michelle just sighed and shook her head.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Gary said as he clenched his fist and looked at Ash with narrowed eyes. His expression changed,"Well if it isn't Ashy Boy," He sneered. "Better late than never I guess, at least you get the chance to see me."

"Gary?" Ash asked as he stood up.

" to you," Gary responded. That made both Selene and Michelle do eye rolls. Professor Oak just shakes his head. "Show some respect, well Ash you snooze you lose." He sneered. "You're way behind from the start. I got a Pokemon and you don't."

"You got your first Pokemon?" He asked.

"That's right loser," Gary said as he took out his pokeball and enlarged it before spinning it on his finger. "And it's right inside this pokeball." The cheerleaders continued to cheer from behind them. Let's go, Gary was repeated constantly.

Michelle then looked to her cousin. "This is going to hurt my ears….doesn't help that we have sensitive hearing." Selene nodded with a sigh.

Gary then turned to his fans. "Thank you fans! Thank you all!" He said as he raised his hands,"For this great honor. I promise you that I will be a Pokemon master and make the town of Pallet known all around the world." The woman cheered.

"Isn't it already known because of you?" Michelle asked professor Oak. He shrugged as an answer.

Michelle just shook her head,"You're too modest sometimes, you know that?" She said to Samuel. He just chuckled.

"It takes one to know one," Samuel said which resulted in Michelle to become sheepish

Ash then piped up. "Excuse me, I was just wondering if you could tell me what kind of Pokemon you got?"

Gary then leaned in and sneered,"None of your business, if you had shown up on time then you would have seen that I have got the best Pokemon from Professor Oak, my grandfather."

Selene then rolled her eyes as she saw the red car and folded her arms as she looked to the professor. "You got him a car? Seriously?"

"He's ten for crying out loud!" Michelle piped in disbelief.

Professor Oak shrugged,"It wasn't my choice,"

"Let me guess, his dad?" Michelle asked and Samuel nodded.

As Gary got into the car he waved to his fan group. "Thank you for coming to see history in the making. Now I Gary Oak am off to learn the ways of a Pokemon trainer!"

Michelle just shook her head. "I"m going back into the lab, you coming Selene?" She asked as she held her head. Selene nodded and followed her Oak had started to make his way down to the late boy.

Ash then clenched both of his hands and growled. "I'll show you!"

Oak then peered around the brick entry way. "So, you decided to show up after all?"

Ash then jumped a bit before turning to the professor. "Oh! Professor Oak, where's my Pokemon?"

"Your Pokemon?" He asked as he already knew that he had a Pikachu for him, but wanted to teach a lesson to Ash about being on time.

"Yeah I'm ready," Ash said excitedly.

"You sure do look like your ready, ready for bed. Not for Pokemon training, I hope you don't think you're going to train in your pajamas."

Ash then looked at his clothing, "Oh, no professor, I got messed up this morning and I was a little late. But believe me, I'm ready for a Pokemon!"

Professor Oak nodded and motioned for him to follow. "Alright, then follow me."

While Professor Oak and Ash were on their way inside, Michelle cradled the Pichu in her arms as she was contemplating what to call her. "Hmm, how do you like the name Akiko? It means bright light." She asked the small creature. Akiko beamed and nodded her head happily as she clapped her hands a bit.

Selene was talking to Lottie and Nero before they heard the voices of Professor Oak and Ash. Nero quickly stopped talking and looked at the strange boy. Luke was dozing off as he leaned against the wall.

Ash then blinked as he saw them. "Oh, Professor, who are they?"

Michelle and Selene were both surprised. "You don't remember us?" Selene asked as she walked up to him. "I'm Selene, and this is Michelle, your cousins. Oh and this is Lottie, you have never met her before, but she was eager to meet you."

Lottie giggled and waved. "Hello!" She said brightly. Ash smiled and waved back.

"Before I forget, the Haxorus is Nero, and the sleeping beauty over there is Luke," Selene chuckled as she pointed to them both. .

"And this little one on my head is the newest addition. Her name is Akiko," Michelle said as she pointed to the small Pichu on her head. Akiko just smiled and waved shyly.

Ash nodded,"It's nice to meet you all, even if I had forgotten who you were before."

Michelle shrugged,"Eh, it'll come back to you. Especially after Selene cooks," Selene chuckled at her cousin's response. Ash chuckled as well.

Professor Oak then coughed to get their attention, "Alright, now let me show you where the Pokemon are." He then brought them into the room to a giant cylinder that revealed three pokeballs. The clear dome opened and the girls gasped.

"The lab sure has changed from the last time I have seen it. " Michelle said in awe.

Professor Oak chuckled,"Everything get's upgraded throughout the years." He then turned to Ash.

"I thought about it a lot, and it took me a long time, but I finally decided to choose Squirtle," Ash said as he grabbed the pokeball. It opened to reveal nothing.

Michelle winced,"Ooh, Gary already got that one."

"Oh!" Ash said in distraught. "I wish I hadn't overslept. But now I will choose as my Pokemon, Bulbasaur." The pokeball opened and once again it was nothing.

"Once again, that one was taken by someone who wasn't late." Professor Oak said.

"Oh, well that's no problem because my Pokemon will be Charmander," Ash said as he puts the empty pokeball down to grab the last one on the cylinder and it opened to reveal nothing once more. "Ahh!"

"The early bird gets the worm, or in this case, the Pokemon," Professor Oak said as he closed his eyes and put his hand to his chin and gave a small smirk that was only noticeable by the two girls.

"Does that mean all the Pokemon are gone?" Ash asked in distraught.

"Well, there is still one left," The professor said as he tapped his chin. "But I-"

"Professor! I'll take it!" Ash interrupted him.

Professor Oak then grabbed the ball from within his coat pocket and handed it to him. "I think I should warn you, there is a problem with this last one."

"I have to have a Pokemon!" Ash exclaimed.

"But in that case," He said as the ball went into Ash's hand and it opened to reveal a bright light. Pikachu then appeared before Ash.

The Pikachu blinked before saying Pikachu.

"Its name is Pikachu," Professor Oak said as he stood a bit away from him.

Ash then came forward. "Ah, It's so cute, it's the best of all!" Michelle then snorted.

"You'll see," Professor Oak sort of warned.

"Oh no…" Michelle sighed as she looked at Selene. "Akiko warned me about him…"

"Ooh, hi Pikachu!" Ash said as he brought him to his chest for a hug. The look of annoyance was already on the Pikachu's face, but when he was brought close it was too far. The Pikachu then released electricity into Ash.

"It's also known as the electric mouse Pokemon, and it's usually shy but can have an electrifying personality," Professor Oak explains.

"I see what you mean," Ash choked up a bit as he continued to hold the Pikachu.

"Shocking isn't it?" Samuel asked, which resulted in Michelle snorting out loud. He then grabbed a Pokedex and six pokeballs from a desk nearby and handed it to him. "Here take this Pokedex and pokeballs."

"Thank you-" Ash said as he was leaning to grab the items, the Pikachu let out another round of electricity. Not only did Ash got shocked, but Professor Oak as well.

"You're welcome," Samuel said in pain.

While the professor was talking to Ash, Akiko started to yell at the Pikachu to try and stop him.

The Pikachu stopped once he heard his sister and promptly got out of Ash's hand and went up to the girl who had his sister. He then started to argue with her as to why she was on this person's head. Akiko was yelling back and explaining the situation which calmed him down, somewhat. Michelle then bent down to look at Pikachu. "It's nice to meet you Pikachu," She said brightly," You don't have to worry. I'm going to take good care of your sister." The Pikachu nodded a bit.

Then there was a sudden noise as Luke was making his way into the lab. **MICHELLE! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO STOP LEAVING MY SIGHT! YOU ARE NOT DONE YOUR TRAINING YET!** The Lucario shouted in Aura Speech.

Michelle then turned to look at him. **You know that I'm pretty far along as it is, you just don't like to admit it. I swear you act like a mother hen sometimes.** Michelle replied to him through Aura Speech.

Ash was speechless as he spotted the Lucario coming up to Michelle, while the Pikachu was amazed that the girl knew Aura.

Selene then heard chanting outside, as well as noises from people banging utensils on metal pots. "We should get going, there are people waiting for you.."


	3. Bonds that Last a Lifetime

Ash nodded before heading out with the professor, pikachu in his arms. Selene started to follow after them as she motioned for Nero to grab Lottie. The haxorus nodded and picked up Lottie and placed her on his back as he walked out of the building. Michelle and Luke followed after with Akiko still on Michelle's head.

As Ash walked down the path and he sees his mother. "Mom?" He asked.

"Oh Ash, I'm so proud of you~ You are finally going to fulfill your dream and start your pokemon journey, but I'm going to miss you so much," Delia said before crying lightly into her son's backpack. The guy to the left of her was starting to shed a tear or two seeing the interaction between mother and son. "Oh my little boy,"

Pikachu then leaped out of Ash's arms to look at the lady. "Pika..chu."

Delia then started to list off things that she had packed for him. It was only then that Ash quickly grabbed the bag off her. "Alright mom, you're embarrassing me in front of all these people. Don't you know I'm a big kid now and pokemon trainers can take care of themselves." Ash said as he looked at his mother dearly.

"I understand that," Delia said and looked down slightly and saw Pikachu. Ash followed her gaze. "That's your pokemon?" She asked. Pikachu answered her with a hearty: Pika...chu.

"Yep, that's my pokemon," Ash commented with enthusiasm. Pikachu just turned his head away in arrogance. Ash just sighed as he looked worried before pushing the thoughts away and forming his hand into a fist in determination. "With Pikachu at my side, I'll get all the pokemon in the world."

"I thought all pokemon stay inside their pokeball." Delia said in thought. "Why doesn't this one?"

"Uh..uh," Ash started to stutter. "Oh yeah,..right," He said before going and grabbing Pikachu's pokeball.

Michelle tried to interrupt, "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Though Ash didn't really heed her warning and proceeded to grab the capsule.

When Michelle interrupted, that got the attention of Delia and her smile widened. "Michelle! Selene! Lottie!" She said and went to hug them. She then turned to the two pokemon,"You must be Nero and Luke, you've grown soo much since I seen you last!" Nero just rubbed his neck a bit in embarrassment. Luke gave a small smile in acknowledgment.

Ash wasn't really paying attention to the interaction between his cousins and his mother but proceeded to try to put Pikachu into the ball. "Pikachu get into the ball now!" He said excitedly as he threw the ball at him. Pikachu being stubborn as he was, and not trusting Ash, used his tail to bounce the ball back at him. Ash was surprised but he tried again but once again Pikachu kept rebounding it. It went on for a few minutes before Delia would interact.

Michelle snickered as she whispered,"Reminds me of a ball game that we used to play when we were younger. Using our tails and such," She said softly to Selene who nodded in response.

"Aw, you're playing catch! You're friends already!" Delia said as she clasped her hands together in happiness.

Michelle then proceeded to cough into her hands, "Optimist,"

"Uh..sure," Ash said as he bent down to pick up Pikachu. "Pikachu and I are pals, right?"

"But it's a little weird," Delia said but stopped a bit when she heard more coughing coming from Michelle who gave her a pointed look. 'Weird...in a good way," She tried to rebound her statement.

"Weird?" Ash asked before looking at Pikachu who gave him a death glare. His cheeks were beginning to show electricity and that was before Michelle stepped in front of Luke, Nero, Lottie and Selene to collect the scattered electricity. Seeing how her ability was Lightning Rod. The others around them began to scream in pain as they got shocked. Professor Oak was smart and before the little electric attack happened, he grabbed onto the brick pillar to diffuse the electricity.

Selene seeing that shook her head and chuckled,"Smooth one Oak, smooth."

Professor Oak chuckled before looking to Ash. "Those rubber gloves that your mom packed should come in handy!" He said to Ash.

"Why!," Ash said through the pain.

"Rubber blocks electricity!"

"Great!" Ash replied before trying to get the gloves out of the bag, but before he did so, Pikachu stopped his electric attack. Resulting in the adults to fall to the ground and leaving Ash standing up in awe.

"That must have been shocking!" Lottie said cheerfully from Nero's back, her head in her hands on top of his head as she watched the whole situation.

Selene just facepalmed and shook her head,"Charlotte…."

Michelle then turned to her small group of family members as she brushed off dirt from her pants. "For me, that was refreshing," She said with a bright grin. Luke just shook his head but a smirk was still on his face.

Delia who was laying on the ground, said in a dazed voice, "Don't forget to change your underwear every…...single…..day,"

Ash just twitched,"O…..k," Pikachu just gave a smile.

"You know you shouldn't drag him around like that…." Selene said as they were walking towards Route 1. Ash had finally gotten dressed with an addition of rubber gloves on his hands. The group was following him and Nero was just shaking his head and looked behind him at Lottie to make sure she was ok.

Ash just ignored his cousin as he was dragging the upset pokemon with the clothesline that was in his bag. Pikachu was dragging his feet.

"I'm going to have to agree with Selene on this one Ash," Michelle said as she looked at irate Pikachu. Akiko was looking at her brother in embarrassment. Ash then stops and sighs.

"Pikachu….are you going to be like this the whole way…" He asked as he looks at the pokemon. Pikachu just turned his head in response. "Is it because you don't like me?" The boy asked. Pikachu just nodded his head in answer. "But I like you a lot," Ash countered. "And since you are the pokemon I'm training, don't you think you could be a little bit nicer and open your mouth and tell me what's wrong?" Pikachu then opened his mouth to show him. "That's not exactly what I meant…..What I meant was, is your name all that you can say?"

"Didn't you already learn this Ash?" Michelle asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah, but I wanted to know from experience?" He said with a small shrug.

"That's both good and bad,"

Ash just shrugs before looking back at his Pikachu. Pikachu just nodded to everything that Michelle had said. "Well then, you are just like all other pokemon and you should act like one and get inside the pokeball." Ash then took out his pokedex.

Luke then proceeded to mutter in Aura Speech. "Now I feel a little insulted by that."

"You're not the only one Luke," Michelle responded.

"Just like what it said in the pokedex," He then flipped it open. While being trained a pokemon usually stays inside its pokeball. The pokedex said to him. "See?" Pikachu then jumps up and hits a button on the pokedex and it continued. However there are many exceptions, some pokemon hate being confined.

"Like Akiko here," Michelle said as she pointed to her head and Akiko gave a cute little wave. Pikachu then nodded his head in agreement.

"Ok, then,' Ash said before going and untying Pikachu. "This oughta make things better, and I'll get rid of these," He said as he took off the rubber gloves. Pikachu just turned his back on him after he asked, "How's that?" "Still not good enough?" He asked as Pikachu nodded. After a sigh, a Pidgey walked over. Dexter explained what a Pidgey was. The Pidgey looked around before pecking the ground for seeds. Ash grins,"This is great! It's our lucky day! Pikachu go get it!"

Selene just sighed and folded her arms as Pikachu ignored him once more. "Aren't you ever going to listen to me?" He asked the little, yellow creature. Pikachu still shook his head. "Why not?" Ash continued to ask. Pikachu didn't tell him anything this time and went and ran up a tree where he laid down and yawned. "Ok, I get the message. I don't want your help or need it. I can get that thing all by myself,"

"Ash...I really do not think that is a good idea...I think maybe you should work on your friendship with Pikachu first before you try anything," Michelle explained as she stood by Selene. Nero was eager to watch the accident ready to happen. Lottie was her bubbly self and acting all excited.

"I'm going to see my first pokemon capture!" She explained as she clapped her hands.

Luke was agreeing with Michelle but of course, Ash wouldn't have any of it.

"But I really want to get my first pokemon!" Ash tried to explain.

"It doesn't mean just throwing a ball at it will work, I believe that only works if it actually wants to go with you," Michelle tried to explain.

Ash just huffed and turned his attention back at the pidgey. "Well, who asked you anyway!"

Selene huffed and folded her arms," He used to listen to us when he was younger," She said to Michelle.

"According to Delia, he had an accident a few years ago and forgot everything. That girl he met at camp, all the knowledge we taught him, his bonds with pokemon, and what we really are," Michelle said with a sigh. "Which explains why our parents told us not to say anything."

Selene nodded but facepalmed when she saw that Ash was taking out a pokeball. "Alright, I pledge to catch all the pokemon in the world. Now I'm ready to take the next step to be the number one pokemon master," Ash began to mutter.

Michelle raised a brow, "Is he talking to us or himself?"

Lottie then giggled, "I think he's talking to himself,"

"Enjoy the last moments of freedom pidgey! Cause you are mine!" Ash said excitedly before putting his hat backwards and throwing the ball at the small bird creature. "Pokeball go!" He shouted as the ball left his hands and was soaring towards the bird. It hit his head and captures the bird. "I did it!" He said happily.

"Did that actually happen?" Michelle asked with a slightly dumbfounded look.

Selene shook her head,"I don't think so, just you wait." Lottie had her eyes big.

The ball began to move and eventually the bird escaped and the ball returned to Ash. She pidgey then ran off into the grass. This action made Nero bursting out laughing. Lottie looked over at him and gave a sharp glare. The haxorus quickly stops, not wanting to get yelled at by the miniature ice/psychic type hybrid. Luke was snickering as well, ignoring the little girl's glare.

"I blew it," Ash sighed in disheartenment. Pikachu was pointing at Ash as he started to laugh. Akiko wasn't very happy about her brother's actions and got off of Michelle's head before running up the tree. The little pichu started to scold her older brother.

"Now, now, you didn't blow it, you just need more experience and a better relationship with your Pikachu," Selene said as she tried to cheer him up by placing a hand on his shoulder.

Ash then yelped when he felt a hit to the back of the head by Michelle. "What was that about the 'last day of freedom?' These pokemon are your partners and friends, you really shouldn't say stuff like that."

"I'm sorry, I just overreacted, what exactly happened?" Ash asked. Then the pokedex explained as to why his capture wasn't successful. "Now he tells me," He said bluntly.

"We DID tell you," Both Selene and Michelle said in unison.

Ash then chuckled sheepishly. Pikachu was still laughing as Akiko was still trying to scold him for what he had done, or is doing. Ash then narrowed his eyes. "But I have to do everything myself!" Ash then looked from Pikachu to his bag and an idea hit him. "Oh wait! I've got an idea!"

Michelle then shakes her head as she placed a hand on her forehead. "Oh no, here we go.." she sighed.

"Again.." Selene finished her sentence.

Ash grabbed his pajama shirt from his bag and started to sneak into the grass. Muttering to himself, he tried to get to the same pidgey. "Hello little friend, SORRY BUDDY!" He yelled as he put the shirt over the pokemon and got on top of it to make sure the creature didn't escape. The shirt then started to become puffed out as the pidgey started to use the move Whirlwind.

Nero who was relaxing under the tree that Pikachu was in was starting to laugh even worse. Lottie was wide eyed as she was sitting in Nero's lap, she couldn't help but laugh as she watched Ash's failure. Nearby, Michelle and Selene couldn't hold back their laughter anymore and it erupted into a chorus.

"Seriously? Hello, little friend?" Michelle tried to say through her laughter.

Ash just huffed as he folded his arms. He glared at everyone, including Luke who had not stopped snickering the entire time. The pokedex went off again and about pidgey's Sand Attack. Ash then blinked,"Oh no, Sand!" He then coughed as he was covered in sand. He sighed,"Guess it's not my lucky day." Pikachu was trying to hold back his laughter this time, but Ash turned around. He glared at the small creature who was rummaging through his backpack. "Hey get out of there!" He yelled at it. Nero saw the small creature and picked it up by the tail, he glared at it before giving a loud roar. Petrifying the small rat pokemon. Smirking at what he had done, he drops it and it ran off without a word.

"A rattata," Selene said with a nod. Ash then went to go look into his bag and found his food wasn't really touched. "Good thing Nero was there,"

Ash nodded before his pokedex rang again and explains to Ash what kind of pokemon it was. He then narrowed his eyes. "But this isn't the forest," Ash mutters, "It's an open field." It also comes out into open fields to steal food from stupid travelers. The pokedex explained.

Michelle then turned to Selene as she tried to stop laughing. "Did you mess with it?" She asked.

Selene quickly shook her head as she waved her arms in peace. "No, I haven't touched any of his electrical gadgets.

"Wait that means I'm stupid?" Ash asked the small mechanical box. Pikachu was now on his back laughing. Akiko had given up on her brother and had made her way back towards Michelle and climbed onto her head.

Ash heard pidgeys nearby and he grabbed a rock and threw it at them in anger. The birds scattered and left the small group alone. He blinked as he spotted a lone bird silhouette in the distance and grins. "I'm going to get you this time,'He declares as he pulled his back his arm and threw the pebble.

"No!" Selene shouted and tried to stop him but it was too late, the pebble had left his hand and hurled over and hit the bird on the head.

"I got it!" Ash said with a grin.

Michelle then gulped and sighed,"This is not good."

"That's not a pidgey Ash, it's a spearow…." Selene sighed.

The spearow now had a giant bump on the back of its head and he slowly turned his head to look at Ash. HIs glare piercing him through the tears in its eyes.

"Wait, he's just a kid, he doesn't know any better!" Michelle tried to reason with the hurt pokemon. "Even though he really should…" She muttered the last part. Even though she begged, the bird did not seem to calm down.

"I wonder what that is," Ash asked as he took out the pokedex once more. The pokedex gave him the review on what the bird pokemon was. As the pokedex read out spearow's info, Ash's face began to distort in worry. The spearow then charged at him, which resulted in Ash trying to run away. He accidentally slipped and fell towards the bird. Seeing that Ash ran towards their direction, Nero quickly grabbed Lottie and turned his back to Ash and the bird so that Lottie wouldn't get hurt.

"That's it, we really need to make sure that he doesn't get hurt," Michelle said with worry as she watched him. Ash then grabbed his bag and started to do a Matador like pose as he tried to dodge the swooping spearow. As it flew towards Ash, who was hiding behind the tree, he swooped upwards and caught sight of Pikachu. The spearow then lost interest in Ash and decided to take aim on Pikachu for it was jealous of pokemon who were caught.

"Hey! Leave Pikachu alone!" Ash called from down below. "It didn't throw the rock!" The pokedex then mentioned that wild pokemon were jealous of those who were trained. At that moment an idea popped into Selene's head. A grin slowly emerged onto her face. Though she snapped out of it once she looked at Ash and the spearow. "Oh…" He said as he gave a glare. The spearow then charged at Pikachu, and while it was hanging from the branch it gave off an electric attack that made it fall to the ground.

"You got it!" Ash said excitedly.

The spearow then cried as it looked hurt. As it laid on the ground it called out to its friends. Selene tried to catch it before hand but its cry reached out and a flock of spearows was coming out. Seeing this, Selene quickly went and got onto her knees before the small bird.

"Don't worry, it's going to be ok. I can take care of you," She said softly as she held out her hand to him. The small spearow began to tear up as he listened to her. He gave a nod and nudged his head onto her hand. She gave a soft smile. "Alright, I'll grant you, your wish my little one," She said before getting out a pokeball and gently pressing the ball to the small bird. It gave out a happy cry and it disappeared into the ball.

The flock of spearows was already on their way after hearing the call, though one of them spotted their friend being caught, not knowing what he wanted. His eyes went wide in shock before darting after Selene. Selene went wide eyed and began to run towards the others.

Ash frowned,"Oh...should we run?" He asked. Pikachu nodded.

"That was a stupid question…" Michelle said before Selene came over and interrupted...

"RUN!"

That got Ash and Pikachu to run. Michelle was following them with Luke on her heels. Nero cradled Lottie in his arms as he ran. His tail swishing around, trying to knock them out of the way. As they ran other pokemon watched. Sandshrews, Mankeys, and a few others just watched in interest.

"Hold on Pikachu! No matter what I'll save you," He said as he ran. Pikachu started to run ahead of him. "Don't you run ahead! I said I would protect you-" he then got hit in the head by a spearow. Pikachu was running, trying to catch up with Michelle and Akiko. He was worried about his younger sister. The spearows went ahead of Ash and started to attack Pikachu and he began to cry out in pain.

A few of the other spearows started to attack Selene as she tried to bat them away. "Why are they only attacking you and Pikachu?" Michelle asked as she held Akiko in her arms. Akiko was watching her brother in worry.

"I captured the spearow that Ash hit, he only wanted to be caught, that's why he was jealous of Pikachu. Now that I caught him, he's happy. I think the other spearows saw that and think I did it forcibly!" Selene said as she tried to block the attacks.

Ash's voice rang out above the cawing of the spearows. "Leave them alone you spearows!" He said as he ran and Pikachu tripped. "PIkachu!" He said as he went and grabbed him before running towards the waterfall.

Michelle spotted that and looked worried. "Hold on Akiko!" She said as Luke made the connection and grabbed her by the waist as they jumped over the waterfall. Seeing Luke go over the edge with Michelle and Akiko, Nero held onto Lottie as Selene jumped onto his back as they jumped over the falls as well. Ash was the last to the waterfall.

He looked around before putting his hat backwards. "Here we go," He said before holding onto Pikachu more as he jumped over the falls. The river was moving fast, Ash was barely able to dodge a roaming Gyarados. The others barely dodged the water creature as well. Ash noticed a fishing line and swam towards it. He soon grasped the line and tugged to let the fisherman know.

A sudden voice called from above. "I got one!" She then tugged her rod back and pulled out Ash and Pikachu. "Oh, it's a kid….and a POKEMON!" The girl said with a grin.

"Not just a boy and a pokemon, a boy, three girls and four pokemon," Selene corrected as Nero pulled her onto land.

The girl turned around before screaming seeing Nero. "W..what is that!"

"That is a he for one and HE is a haxorus, his name is Nero," Selene pointed out as she continued to cough and began to wring out her clothes.

"Besides, he wouldn't hurt a Butterfree," Michelle said as she got out with Luke. Akiko coughing in her arms. She then turned to Ash. "Hey Ash, you ok?"

Ash was coughing and nodded his head,"Yeah...Pikachu!" He said before quickly looking at the yellow creature to make sure he was ok.

The orange haired girl then looked at Ash and Pikachu. "Are you ok?" She asked.

Ash gave a small smile, "Yeah, I'm ok,"

"Not you, look what you've done to that poor little thing, is it breathing?" She yelled at him before looking concerned.

"I..i think so," Ash stuttered as he looked at Pikachu.

"Well don't just sit there! It needs a doctor right away! There is a medical center not too far from here. You got to get him there now!" She began screaming.

Ash then jumped to his feet. "You mean a hospital?"

"Yes! For pokemon," She said and put her hands on her hips as she narrowed her gaze at him.

"Can you tell me which way do I go?" He asked.

"That way," The girl said as she pointed at a direction.

Michelle then walked up to the girl with an annoyed look on her face. She pointed a finger at her and growled, "First off, he's not the reason that Pikachu is in this condition! Second, you really need to get your facts straight before accusing people of things they didn't do. Thirdly, learn some common COURTESY!" She yelled.

Before the girl can say anything, they heard a sound behind them and when they turned around they saw the flock of spearows coming after them.

"They're coming back! Run!" Ash said as he started to dart up the hill. Seeing the bike, he runs towards it and places Pikachu into the basket. Michelle, Luke and the other three were right behind him.

"What are you doing!" Misty yelled as she got to him.

"Sorry, I"m borrowing this," Ash said quickly before darting off.

"But hey that's my bike!' Misty said as he went too far away for him to hear her.

His cousins were keeping up behind him, the Haxorus turned around as they ran and stuck a tongue out at her before Selene hits him in the back of the head.

Misty just watches with a dumbfounded look and with an eye twitch, before she grabbed her stuff and darted after them.

Ash then called over his shoulder. "I'll give it back someday!" It was only then that Selene noticed the dark clouds starting to hover.

Michelle then looked at her fingers as electricity jumped between each digit as they ran, "Uh oh. Storm's coming," She said to Selene and she nodded.

"We got to hurry and warn Ash, being out here is dangerous," Selene said as she picked up speed. Thunder was crashing above them as they ran over an open field.

"HOLD ON PIKACHU! WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" Ash said as he tried to pedal faster. Pikachu was slowly starting to realize that Ash really cared for him. It wasn't long before it started to rain. Cold drops of water started to pelt the skin of the girls, Nero, and Luke as they soon caught up to him. The spearows still on their tail.

Lightning struck in the sky as the birds caught up and started to attack everyone. The spearows started to back off of Michelle and Nero for the moment as they started to fly around Ash, Pikachu, and Selene. He ran over a small hill that tipped the bike over and made Ash fell onto his face and Pikachu out of reach.

"ASH! PIKACHU!" Michelle and Selene both yell in worry as they reached out their arms to them. Lottie was frightened and was curled up into a ball in Nero's arms as he held her protectively. Both Luke and Nero watched in worry, they both limited as to what to do.

Pikachu was just lying there in the dirt as he looked at Ash weakly. "Pikachu!" Ash cried out as he crawled over to him. "Pikachu...this can't happen…" Thunder and lightning crashed above. Akiko yells as she jumped out of Michelle's hair and ran towards her older brother. Ash got a determined look on his face as he started to get up. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out Pikachu's ball.

"Pikachu, get inside," Ash said softly and made the pokeball bigger. "I know you are afraid of going in there, but if you are inside, maybe I can save you. Please Pikachu, please listen to me and get inside. After that then, after that...just trust me!" Ash begged as tears began to appear in his eyes. Akiko was sitting beside them as she tilted her head a bit. Ash then lays down the pokeball and nudges it to him. Ash then get's up and goes towards the spearows and starts saying his dream and that they can't hurt Pikachu and how he'll stand in their way. Pikachu was hearing this and was slowly getting up. As the spearows were diving towards him, both Pikachu and Akiko ran up to him, jumped onto his shoulders and into the space before him. The lightning hits them both as they did their electrical attacks.

Nearby, Luke was holding back Michelle as she was screaming for all three of them. Electricity was jumping out of her fingers as her emotions ran high. Nero was holding back Selene as she was doing the same thing. Tears were coming to her eyes as she fell to her knees as she watched.

"What the heck!" Michelle screamed as the attack hit all the spearows, resulting in them to knock out and fall to the ground. Pikachu was lying really hurt besides the very worn out and hurt pichu. After the attack, the sky cleared up and revealed the girl's burnt bike nearby. Ash was knocked out. Both Selene and Michelle came running up to him with the boys and Lottie following behind them.

Ash and Pikachu were starting to wake up. Michelle was in hysterics as she was searching for any wounds on all three of them.

"Thank Arceus!" Michelle said as she held Akiko close. "Never do that again! Any of you! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Not just you," Selene said as she let out a shaky breath. "Me as well, now let's hurry to that pokemon center."

Ash just smiled and gave a chuckle, "Well, we beat them."

PIkachu smiled and gave a nod. "Chu…"

There was a noise that came from above as everyone looked up. A mysterious bird-like pokemon was flying above them, leaving a trail of colors. Quickly, Michelle grabbed her pokedex from her bag and aimed it at the new bird. She took one picture and it was clear. She looked at it and gasped before looking up.

"Lady Ho-Oh?"


	4. Depressed in Viridian

"Attention citizens of Viridian City, be on the lookout for suspicious looking strangers!" Came a voice from a loudspeaker. The small group heard this as they were running up to the small police station.

Ash was running ahead of the small group, his hurt Pikachu in his arms. The poor kid was running out of breath. Right behind him was Nero with Selene in his arms and Lottie on his back. Right beside them was Michelle with Akiko in her arms, Luke was running beside her.

Right when Ash was running past the Officer Jenny who had broadcasted the warning only a few moments before, he was snagged by her by the collar. "Now hold up now, and just where are you think you're going with that pokemon now huh, young man?" She asked as Ash was struggling to get out of her grip.

When he was finally released, Ash then began to yell, "It's my pokemon and it's hurt. And I have to get to the hospital right away!" He said urgently.

Selene nodded,"Yeah!" She then jumped off out of Nero's arms and stood beside Michelle.

Michelle had leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Doesn't she look like the Officer Jenny from home, but not an Arcanine?" She asked.

Selene just gave a simple nod as she watched the Officer Jenny bend down to look at the Pikachu. In a saddened tone the Officer Jenny frowned," Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you might be stealing it. "

Michelle then interrupted her. "Do you really see the condition he's in?! I mean really!" Jenny then gave the other's a sheepish look.

"Sorry but I still need to see your Id's," Jenny said as she stood up straight. "Then you could go."

Ash then blinked, "Id? But I don't have any, you see we just came here from Pallet-"

"You know, you're the fourth person I've seen from Pallet Town today,' Jenny interrupted before looking at the others, "Sorry, that makes…." 'She said in thought as she pointed at each of the humans, "...seven. Seven people now that I've seen from Pallet. Town."

"We're not from Pallet Town actually, we're just here to help him on his journey," Selene interrupted the woman.

"As well as do research for Professor Oak as well," Michelle stated with a nod.

"Oh, well, I still need to see your Id's to let you through," Jenny said with a nod. "It's weird to see people carrying pokemon in their arms, how do I know that you aren't stealing them. There are pokemon thieves going around, just like these two in the poster behind me." She then pointed to the poster that held a picture of a blue haired guy with a rose, and a red haired woman with her hand to the photographer as if she was trying to block it out.

"Please let us through, We wouldn't steal any pokemon and we have to get Pikachu and Akiko to the hospital right now," Ash tried to explain, "Please miss-"

Jenny then spotted the Pokedex sticking out of Ash's pocket. "Hey, that's a pokedex in your pocket, that is a form of ID!" She opened it to see Ash's information and she nodded. She looked to the two girls. They already had their dex's open for her to look in.

"I didn't know that was my ID," Ash said in shock. "Can we take our pokemon to the hospital now?' He asked.

"Don't worry, I'll get you there in no time at all," Jenny said with a smile as she went towards her motorcycle.

Selene and Michelle looked a bit worried before Selene piped up. "We'll just run next to you," Michelle nodded.

"If you say so, Ash hop on in,' She said and Ash climbed into the motorcar beside her. When she left dark smoke came from behind. Ash was screaming as they traveled away from the station.

Michelle coughed as she tried to wave off the smoke. "Does that thing need a tune up or something?" She asked through coughs.

"No time for that, we need to go follow them," Selene said as she was picked up by Nero and they were following the speeding Jenny. Michelle and Luke were following behind him. As the group had left, Misty had just come to the station when the smoke got into her face. Coughing, she put down her burnt bike.

"Hey! What's the big Idea!" Misty coughed before darting after him.

It wasn't long before Officer Jenny pointed out a giant building before them. "There it is!" She said as she revved up her motorcycle and went faster. Selene, Michelle, and the others were right behind them.

"The Pokemon Center? It's gigantic," Ash said rather loudly so the officer can hear him over the noise. She nodded in response before making her motorcycle go up the stairs, through the automatic doors. "This is going to be tricky! Hold on!'

As the motorcycle went into the air and through the doors, Michelle went wide eyed. "She's nuts!" Luke gave a growl in agreeance. Selene just had her eyes wide as they all went through the door to see Jenny's motorcycle right in front of the reception desk.

The pink haired lady stood up and slammed her hands on the table. "We have driveways you know!"

Jenny then yelled,"It's a pokemon emergency!"

"Please help him!" Ash said as he was getting out of the sidecar, showing the hurt Pikachu to the woman.

"It looks like a pikachu, we'll do whatever we can!" The nurse said as she went to her computer and started typing things. "I need a stretcher for a small electric pokemon. STAT!"

Two chanseys burst through the door of the operating room with a stretcher in hand. They then gently took PIkachu out of Ash's hands and onto the stretcher before heading through the doubles doors again. Before Joy went with them, Michelle and Selene quickly asked her to take Akiko and Clancy, the spearow, with her. She nodded and got two more chances to help out with the small request.

"Why Clancy?" Michelle asked as she turned towards Selene with a raised brow.

Selene gave a soft smile before looking as Clancy's pokeball went out of view. "Well, he'll turn into a spearow and he get's a red mohawk, and he has a warrior spirit. Clancy means red haired warrior."

Nurse Joy then turned towards Ash. "We have taken your Pikachu into critical care, and he'll be fine." She said as another chansey came up with a tray of nurse utensils. She grabbed a pair of white gloves and put them on. "He'll get treatment right away, you can stay here until he's done."

"Uh…" Ash said in distraught.

"Who are you?" The nurse asked as she looked at the small boy.

"This is Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, the one the Pikachu belongs to." Officer Jenny replied for him as he just looks at the woman in sadness.

"Is there anything I can do, please tell me!" He pleaded.

"You can be more responsible!" The nurse said with a bit of an edge in her voice.

Michelle sighed and growled. "They're jumping to conclusions without any evidence!" She said to Selene as they stood nearby. Selene just gave a nod as she shook her head as she watched the three.

"But…" Ash said but he was interrupted before he could continue.

"If you want to become a pokemon trainer young man, you don't let your pokemon battle until it is in this condition," The nurse scolded.

"But you don't know what happened!" Ash said as he tried to explain himself.

Before Michelle could say anything more, the nurse continued. "The past is in the past."

"WE WERE ATTACKED! BY SPEAROWS! JUST LOOK AT HIM! YOU'RE A NURSE FOR ARCEUS'S SAKE!" Michelle said from the sidelines as her arms were pointed at Ash. "HE DIDN'T FIGHT! WE RAN!"

Nurse Joy goes quiet but sighed,"We'll heal your pokemon, just get some rest." With that, she left the others to help Pikachu.

Officer Jenny turned to Ash and then to the small group who walked up to him. "I'll have a look at that route when I leave. Thank you for telling us. " With that, she went to her motorcycle and rode out of the doors.

Michelle then quickly turned to Ash and gently started to pull him towards a bench nearby. "Ok, now that Pikachu is getting taken care of, it's your turn."

Selene nodded as she went and grabbed Michelle's bag and handed it to her. Michelle then rummaged inside it before pulling out a small first aid kit. She then started to work on his small cuts and bruises. Nero and Luke were talking a little bit away from them. Lottie had her eyes wide as she jumped from one person to the other as she talked about the pokemon that they had. As he was getting fixed up, Ash felt something, something that he couldn't put a finger on it. He felt familiarity when Michelle was patching him up. He wondered how and why.

It wasn't until eight o'clock when Ash decided that he would call home. He then made his way over to the phone and dialed his home number. Selene and Michelle wandered over after him, seeing how Lottie, Luke, and Nero were asleep on the bench.

"Hello, mom?" Ash asked when his mother picked up the call.

It took a few seconds before the image of Delia showed up on the monitor. "Hi, Sweetie!" She said happily before waving to her nieces. "Where are you guys?" She asked.

"The Pokemon Center in Viridian City," Ash replied.

"You're already in Viridian City?" It took your father four days when he started his pokemon journey," Delia said in thoughtfulness as she remembered her husband. "Oh, he'll be so proud of you, you are the apple of his eye."

"Yeah, a rotten apple," Ash said in distraught. Michelle was holding back from hitting him in the back of the head for his poor comment.

"Oh, Ash. Don't get discouraged, you're doing fine. Honey, you're growing up right before my eyes. Spread your wings and soar like a spearow." His mother tried to encourage , the two girls behind him couldn't help but crack up laughing.

Ash gave Selene and Michelle a stern look for the laughter and they started to stop as he turned his attention back to his mother. "I feel more like a fallen pidgey."

Delia then get's really close to the camera. "I won't let you talk about yourself that way!"

"Go Aunt Delia!" said Selene with a grin.

"Yeah, you just got to be confident, just not over confident,' Michelle replied after her cousin.

"The girls are right, you can do anything that you put your mind to. Do you understand?" His mother asked sternly.

"Yes," Ash said simply.

"And are you changing your underwear every day?" Delia asked. In the background, there were a few snickers coming from the girls.

"Yes."

"Ok, goodnight son. Good night girls, and Ash. I love you," Delia said as she waved.

"Me too," Ash said sadly.

"Night, Aunt Delia!" The girls said in unison. The screen then went black. Ash just stared at the screen in thought. When he turned, he looked at the picture on the wall above the desk.

"Zapdos….Moltres…..Articuno…..and...Arcanine?" Michelle said before looking at the last picture in confusion.

Ash then ran towards the painting. "Hey," He said in thought as he looked at it more closely. His attention was specifically on the bird one in blue. His thoughts flashed back towards the mysterious bird that flew over them. _That's the bird that flew over us._ He thought to himself.

The phone behind the desk started to ring. Ash then went behind the counter and answered the call.

"Umm...this is Ash…Who's calling?" He asked.

"Over here, my boy," Oak said as the yellow painting went down to reveal a screen with Professor Oak's back to them. "It's me Professor Oak, don't you recognize me?" He asked.

"Professor! You're looking at the wrong screen!" Michelle pointed out to him as she folded her arms. Selene was chuckling beside her as they leaned against the reception desk.

"Eh? Oops the wrong camera," He said and then fixed it so now that he was facing towards them. "There." He said before clearing his throat. "I just spoke with your mother, and she tells me that you guys made it to the Pokemon Center in Viridian City. Is that true?" He asked.

"I wouldn't be talking to you if I wasn't," Ash said.

"He's got a point Professor," Selene piped up.

Oak then blinked,"Oh, I see, I dialed the pokemon center's number and you were able to answer it."

Both Selene and Michelle facepalmed at the professor's comment.

"The other new pokemon trainers got there as well, and I'm surprised you made it so quickly too. When you left I had my doubts that you could handle your pikachu. But when my grandson Gary said that you wouldn't have a single new pokemon by the time you got to Viridian City, I bet him a million dollars that he'd be wrong." Professor Oak said with a nod.

Ash then flinched, "Good thing Money isn't everything, right?" He asked.

"At least I saw something on the way," Ash said as he pointed to the blue .

"Yeah, looks like I won my bet with Gary, you can take the money for it. I don't really need it." Michelle said as she went to send the professor the picture.

"It flew right over the rainbow," Ash said as he looked at the painting.

"It can't be it, no trainer has been able to see it," Oak explained.

"Wrong bird Ash, that's an Articuno, not the the one we saw," Michelle explained. She then turned to Oak. "Here's the picture Prof~"

Oak nodded and went to his machine and saw the picture, his eyes went wide and he fell out of his office chair.

Her eyes went wide. "Are you ok?" She asked. Selene just shook her head and looked over to the small sleeping bundle of Luke, Nero, and Lottie. Luke's hand was hanging off the bench, Lottie was curled up into the body of Nero as he was snoring and on his back. Lottie's sister just shook her head before returning her gaze to the screen.

"You saw Ho-Oh! That legendary pokemon hasn't been seen in three hundred years!" Oak said in disbelief.

Michelle started to cough and Oak had gotten a pointed look that made him stop and realize what he was about to say. He then nodded and said, "You have been lucky." Then there was a doorbell from his side of the conversation. "Ooh, my pizza! Coming!" He said and headed towards the door. Before he got too far, he poked his face into the camera again. "It' was nice talking to you Ash, keep up the good work girls!" He said before it fuzzed out.

As the screen went black a familiar, yet annoying face was heard. "There! I got you now!"

The three of them turned to see Misty carrying her burnt bike on her shoulder. "Geez! Are we sure that she's not part pokemon?" She asked in a whisper to Selene who just nodded with a raised brow in disbelief.

"I knew I would find you here!" Misty said through her panting breath.

"Of course, you pointed us in this direction," Michelle said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Ash then sighed as he looked at the bike, "Hey, I'm sorry about the bike but I'll pay for it later.

"No, you're going to pay me now!" Misty said angrily but her balance was off and she fell backward. She gave a small cry.

Ash then went wide eyed and went out of the receptions desk and towards her side where he bent down to try and give her a hand up. "Here, let me help you."

Misty then slapped his hand away. "I don't need your help! And you're going to pay for what you did to my bike!"

"You just said that and we offered!" Michelle said in anger as her fists clenched by her sides.

"I'll make up for it, I promise I will, really," Ash said with a sigh. He then looked at the double doors where Pikachu was still being worked on. "Pikachu is still in emergency care…"

"I don't want any more of your excuses!" Misty shouted as she got up and formed a fist. "I just want a new bike right now!"

Michelle then gently pushed Ash back so that she was now in front of Misty. Her face was close to hers. "Now listen here, and listen good. One, it was an accident and it got hit by lightning. Two, we said we would pay for it and we will. And three, you are being very rude, immature, and a selfish idiot!" She then reached into the bag and forcibly gave her the money. After the transaction, she huffed and went to Selene's side once more, her anger was slowly dissipating.

Misty was just blinking and she was slowly calming down. Since Misty didn't hear what he said due to her anger blocking it out, he repeated. "Pikachu isn't doing really well…." He said as his eyes went to the doors once more.

Misty frowned as she asked, "Is it really serious?"

Ash nodded lightly, "I think so...and there is nothing that I can do to help now."

It wasn't long after he spoke when the light went dark, indicating that the procedure was finished. Pikachu was then brought out on the stretcher. Akiko was on Nurse Joy's shoulder and Clancy's pokeball was being held by a chansey.

Ash rushed over to the side of the stretcher. "Pikachu...are you alright?" He asked in hopefulness. Selene went over and gently took Clancy's ball out of the pink pokemon's hand. She gave a nod in thanks. Michelle had gone to take Akiko. Akiko smiled and leapt into the arms of Michelle before climbing onto her head.

Pikachu didn't say anything as it had wires on his forehead and a lightbulb on his head. "He's going to be fine, he just needs some rest. It was a good thing that you got him here so fast, the procedure went well and he should be fine." Nurse Joy said happily.

Ash nodded,"Thank you very much!" He was glad that Pikachu would be fine.

"Now he needs to spend a night in the recovery room, you should go in with him Ash,' Joy said with a soft nod as she headed towards the room.

Before they could go to the recovery room, an alarm started to sound. Officer Jenny's voice echoing through the center. "Warning! Pokemon thieves have been spotted in the area. Please stay calm!"

Michelle sighed,"This could either be very good….or very bad.."


	5. Who are you?

All of a sudden a crash was heard as two pokeballs fell through the skylight window and onto the ground. They opened up to reveal a Koffing and an Ekans. As the small group started to huddle around Pikachu, Koffing started to use Smoke Screen around them. Selene narrowed her eyes and began to cough.

"What are….who are they?" Ash asked as he looked around the darkened room.

A shrill voice then was heard over the haze, "Don't be frightened, little boy,'

"Allow us to introduce ourselves," Came a male voice.

"To protect the world from devastation,' Continued the female.

"To unite all people within our nation,' The man followed.

"To denounce the evil of truth and love,' The red headed woman said as the smoke began to clear to show their forms.

"To extend our reach to the stars above," The blue haired boy said as he held a rose close to his face.

"Jessie and James, Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light, surrender now or prepare to fight," Both the man and woman said in unison.

'Meowth! That's right!" Said a Meowth as he jumped to stand in between the two strangers.

Ash looked at them confused, "What are you talking about?" He then heard a growled as he looked over to Michelle who had her fists tighten and her red eyes seemed to be slightly glowing but he only thought it was because of the lights from the building. Akiko was also growling at the strangers as she stood on Michelle's head.

"You!" Michelle said in a drawled out snarl.

The two strangers flinched as they stepped back a bit. "What is wrong with that girl? Is she rabid?" Selene knew that was going to tick Michelle off so she held onto the girl and was holding her back.

"Not yet Michelle, " She said to her cousin. Selene then looked at Team Rocket and stood up as Michelle just huffed. "You, how dare you treat pokemon so badly!" She snapped. "We have heard of you before and I won't let you steal anyone's pokemon!"

"You are a pokemon yourself! Have some dignity!" Commented Michelle as she directed her voice to Meowth who just flinched and snarled.

"You twerps! You know nothing about me or what I've been through!" Meowth said in a snarl.

"I'm guessing it was because you tried to impress a girl," Michelle said with a roll of her eyes.

Meowth went wide eyed and twitched a bit in shock before narrowing his eyes and his claws began to extend. "How dare you!" He snarled before yelling his attack as he launched himself at Michelle.

"He's using Fury Swipes!" Selene called as she watched him come closer. Akiko wasn't happy that Michelle was going to get hurt, so she jumped off the girl's head and used Thunder Shock. It hits Meowth and stops him cold in his tracks. It caused him to fall on the floor in a burning heap. Jessie and James watched with their eyes wide as Akiko still stood tall on the floor in defense over her trainer.

Meowth just uttered the words, "How…"

Ash was confused as to see how the bad guys were backing up. "That's not possible!" She muttered in disbelief.

"What's not possible?" Asked Ash as he looked around to everyone.

"Pichu's are supposed to pass out after using an attack," Nurse Joy piped in as she stood by Pikachu who was starting to wake up. "Usually it's too much electricity for their bodies."

Selene spotted the chance to help Pikachu, she knew Michelle and Akiko had everyone distracted. She was going to give some electricity to the small pokemon when Jessie piped up.

"We have no time for this. We'll take that Pichu along with the rest of the pokemon here," Jessie said with a smirk.

"You're not going to take Pikachu!" Ash said before trying to block their view of him.

"Pikachu? With the exception of that Pichu, your Pikachu has no value to us," Jessie continued. "We are not interested in your precious electric rat"

Michelle then began to growl once more, "He's a MOUSE not a RAT, you Idiots!" Akiko had made her way to the top of Michelle's head as she talked. Sparks were coming from the Pichu's cheeks. Akiko was ready for round two. Selene had to make this transition real fast, seeing how Ash was really close and Team Rocket was looking over them.

"That's enough!" Selene piped up. "Nero! Use Dragon Rage!" From behind the evil trio, Nero charged up and used his attack. The trio screamed as they saw the pokemon that they had never seen before attacking them. The attack had hit Koffing and he was knocked out and was imprinted into the wall.

James turned to see his Koffing had been taken out by one hit. "Koffing!" He said in disbelief and he began to growl as he turned back to them. As the commotion had taken place, Selene had slipped some electricity to Pikachu through the tips of her fingers. It was when everyone was distracted and now she was looking James in the eyes as hers were narrowed.

"Luke!" Was all Michelle said as a voice crept into her head.

"Gladly," Luke said through his Aura speak before a blue orb came out from behind Nero and landed a hit at Ekans and sends it to land next to the fainted Koffing. Luke then steps out from behind Nero with Charlotte behind them who crossed her arms in annoyance.

"That's what you get for picking on pokemon!" Charlotte piped up.

"Why you!' Jessie said as her fingers started to twitch in anger. "You all are going to pay for this!"

Hearing that, Michelle just snorted. "You don't know who you are messing with."

Ash was clenching his fists in anger. "These guys are starting to bug me!" Hearing Ash say those words, Pikachu finally stood up on the gurney. Seeing as her brother has woke up, Akiko got down Michelle and went to her brother's side. As everyone's eyes were focused on Pikachu, Luke, Nero, and Charlotte went and joined the small group by the gurney.

Jessie and James were clenching their teeth and Meowth had his eyes narrowed. That was when he saw that his comrades were starting to wake up from their previous knockouts. "Ekans, Koffing, get over here and fight!" Meowth ordered. Jessie was smirking when she saw Ekans slithering over. Though she looked over to see James as he was staring at Selene.

"What are you looking at James?" She asked her tone a bit annoyed, especially when she saw who he was staring at.

James looked over at Jessie and gave a 'what' look. Jessie just lets out a sigh of annoyance before yelling. "Ekans Poison Sting!" Koffing was floating nearby as he awaited his trainer's orders. Ekans was carrying out the attack and poison sting was aimed at the small group.

MIsty couldn't stand back in the shadows any longer and stood in front of the group as she let out her Staryu. "I'll protect you guys! Staryu use Water Gun!" She ordered. Once the star-shaped pokemon got out it used its attack and rebounded the poison sting back at the snake. Letting it get poisoned by its own attack.

"Oh the girl thinks she's pretty tough for a young lady," James muttered.

Misty thought it was a compliment and smirked, "Why thank you,"

"She thinks she's pretty," James continued with a smirk.

"I agree with her, she's pretty. Pretty….pathetic," Jessie said with a smirk. That comment made Misty angry and she was now yelling at the trio.

"For a water trainer, she's very hot-headed," Michelle said to Selene who nodded in response.

"Enough, time is slipping by, Koffing use smoke screen!" James said and Koffing began to pour smoke out of its mouth.

Pikachu turned to Ash and started to tell him that he needed more power. Akiko then piped up, saying that she'll help. Michelle then discreetly gave some power to her beloved Pichu. Selene then puts a hand on Pikachu as a sign of good luck, though Pikachu knew that he was getting power from Selene as well. Once Pikachu and Akiko were charged up by the help of Ash, who now had hooked up the burnt bike to Pikachu's wires, they launched an electric attack on the trio. The smoke hadn't dispersed throughout the room yet and it made an explosion, sending Team Rocket out of the Pokemon Center and into the sky. The explosion was great and it had engulfed the Pokemon Center in smoke.

Officer Jenny had just pulled up to the Pokemon Center as there was an explosion. "Too late, but not too late for the fireworks." She huffed.

From in the sky Team Rocket was hanging by a rope from their Meowth balloon. "Great! A cat losing to mice!" Jessie mutters.

"That Pikachu and Pichu are not ordinary," Meowth piped up from above Jessie.

"Certainly they are rare, the perfect prize!" James said with a nod.

"Let's catch them!" Jessie said confidently.

"Perhaps we will," Meowth said with a smirk then it frowned as a hole appeared in the balloon and sent them flying and away from the city….for now.

Back at the Pokemon Center, the roof was damaged and the wall that the pokemon had imprinted when they got hit by Nero's Dragon Rage was also. Ash, Misty, Pikachu, Selene, Akiko, Michelle, Luke, and Nero were all on their way to Pewter City. The Pewter City Nurse Joy had called to make sure if her sister was ok when she heard that the group will be heading to her she gave a nod and told her that she'll be keeping an eye out.

By the Viridian Forest, Misty gave out a loud shriek and clutched onto Ash.

"Ow,..." Michelle said as she winced from the high pitch scream, Selene was doing the same and she was muttering things under her breath.

'

"There is a bug over there!" She said in a panic.

Ash had looked over to see a Caterpie by a tree. "Oh it's just a Caterpie," Ash said to her.

Michelle who looked over as well beamed and her eyes brightened up, "How Cute!" She cooed.

"Their bugs, they are gross and disgusting and I hate them," Misty said quickly as she stayed behind the boy.

"Ouch, that's harsh," Michelle commented with a roll of her eyes.

"I agree, all creatures are cute in their own ways," Selene piped up as she watched the green bug pokemon watching them.

"Do something!" Misty cried as she stepped back more.

"This will be a piece of cake," Ash said with a grin as he took out the pokeball and clicked it to make it bigger. He put his hat backwards and threw it at the Caterpie, catching it in its ball.

"Yes, I caught one!"


	6. Learn Some Manners!

"I did it! I caught my first pokemon! Now I'm one step closer to becoming the best pokemon master in the whole world!" Ash began to brag. Misty just rolled her eyes and tried not to look at him.

"He just got a basic pokemon and he thinks he's the king," Charlotte complained before sticking her tongue at Ash.

"He's been around Gary for WAY too long, without any outside influence," Michelle said as she folded her arms. Selene nodded with a shake of her head.

" _With that kind of attitude he's going to get himself hurt_ ," Nero whispered to Selene as he stood next to her.

"I agree with Nero, we need to deflate that ego of his," The woman nodded as she put her hands to her hip. "Alright Ash, time to reel your emotions back. We don't want you to-"

Ash completely ignored Selene's words and grabbed Misty by the arm before going around in circles. His hand in the air with his newly caught pokemon on display.

Misty ripped her hand away and glared at him. "Ash! You're acting like-"

She was cut off as Ash shoves his pokeball into her face ."Look! Inside this ball is the first pokemon that I have ever caught in my whole entire life!" Ash said excitedly.

"Unless you count the friends you met at Professor Oak's and back at home…."Michelle stated and then whispered the last part, "...since you don't remember."

Selene placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ash, you need to stop now. Your excitement is getting out of hand," She said sternly.

"Ok! Just keep it away from me,"Misty pleaded as she tried to move the pokeball away from her.

"You're not afraid of an itty bitty caterpie inside a pokeball are you?" Ash asked sarcastically as he taunted her with the pokeball.

"Bug's give me the creeps, they are slimy, gross and just so disgusting!" Misty said angrily as she shook her head.

Ash was going to say something when he was starting to get towed away by Michelle. Her hand pulling hard against his collar, leading him away from the frightened redhead. "Ok, enough of that. Time to lower the ego...WAY down," She muttered to him.

"Yeah!" Charlotte said and stuck her tongue out at Ash.

"Still I know some bugs are creepy, sometimes, but it's just a Caterpie. To me it's extremely cute," Michelle said towards Misty.

Ash just huffed and rolled his eyes,"I like bug pokemon even if they aren't in the pokeball." He was starting to reel in his attitude as he looked at the pokeball in his hands. "It must be comfortable for caterpie. I love my new little pokemon" He then proceeded to rub the ball against his cheek.

Misty just looked at him in a grossed out way. Selene then leaned over and whispered, "it seems he did remember a thing or two from you," She chuckled.

Michelle turned to her and placed her hands on her hips. "You know I can't help it! I love caterpies!"

Misty then muttered, "It must take a worm to love a worm,"

"It's a caterpillar! Not a worm!" Charlotte muttered to Misty as she came over and started to poke her in annoyance. "Learn the difference!"

Luke was watching from next to Nero, he was shaking his head. He didn't like the way Misty was talking about the pokemon, and Ash. _She's being very rude_. He said through aura speak to Michelle.

`"Tell me about it," Michelle responded with a shake of her head.

"Very funny," Ash said flatly as he heard the worm comment. He then turned to Pikachu with a smile. "Pikachu! We got a new friend!" Pikachu started to sniff the ball before smiling bright.

"Pika!" He replied happily before seeing Akiko scamper towards them. The small Pichu was smiling and slightly clapping her hands. She loved meeting new friends.

"Oh, Pikachu! I'm glad you like it! From now on we're going to catch a whole bunch of new friends!" Ash said in excitement and he was full of determination.

Michelle had walked over and kneeled down beside Akiko before chuckling. "At least he's calling them friends."

"Caterpie, you're sticking with us," The boy said as he looked down at his pokeball.

Misty froze as she started to slowly turn to him. "D..does t..that mean-"

"Caterpie! Come out!" He ordered as he threw the ball. As the ball flew out of his hand, it opened and a beam of red light came out and Caterpie came into view. The whole event was giving Misty the creeps. She had started to run off and trying to get away from the small bug pokemon.

Charlotte just tsked as she shook her head, "That girl has issues." Michelle snorted after she heard her cousin say that.

"Oh my Arceus! He's adorable!" Michelle cooed. Misty just hid behind a tree as she watched what was happening.

Ash just huffed at Misty as he placed his hands on his hips. "It's nothing to be scared about." He then bent down on one knee and extended his arm for Caterpie to climb on him. "Come on Caterpie, climb onto my shoulder."

Caterpie nodded and was about to climb but he spotted Misty from behind the tree a bit down the way. He then freaked out and charged at the red head with speed faster than any caterpie ever before.

"Wow...didn't know caterpies could move that quickly, did you?" Michelle said as she watched him go.

Selene shook her head, "No…"

"Go, little fella! Go!" Charlotte cheered as she hopped up and down.

Misty then let out a high pitch scream as the caterpie started to rub his head up and down her leg in happiness.

Both Selene and Michelle burst out laughing. Nero and Luke just watched with raised brows and Ash just blinked. Charlotte was blinking. "He must really like her," She commented with a shake of her head.

"I think that's an understatement," Michelle answered Charlotte.

Ash smiled as he walked up to Pikachu. "Hey Misty! Caterpie really likes you! Isn't that cute?" He asked with a chuckle.

Misty falls on her knees as she cried. "Get this disgusting bug away from me!"

Michelle gasped as Caterpie looked up at her. "How could you say that to a face like his!" She scolded. "He's fricken adorable!"

Caterpie came closer to her and tilted his head. Misty shivered, "Please don't come any closer!" She begged before crawling backwards into a distant tree.

"What? You think Caterpie is disgusting?" Ash asked with a raised brow, his hands in his pockets. Caterpie frowned and lowered his head in sadness.

"Aw…" Michelle said with a soft frown.

Pikachu felt sorry for the small bug pokemon and went up and started to pat his back. Misty saw this and slowly crawled towards them. She reached down and picked up Pikachu gently. "I know! You can be friends with that creepy bug and I'll be friends with Pikachu,"

"Pikachu likes me and zaps anybody who tries to-" Ash was going to continue but he saw how Pikachu liked being petted by Misty. His eyes twitched as he raised his hands in exasperation. "Pikachu!" He muttered darkly.

Caterpie was still standing by Misty and he looked like he was about to burst into tears. Misty saw this before yelling at Ash. "Ash, quickly put that disgusting thing back into his pokeball!"

Michelle's jaw dropped in shock at what Misty was saying. Charlotte was glaring at her. Her anger had gotten to her and she stomped over to Misty and punched her, knocking her to the ground. Charlotte had used pound.

Selene gasped before heading over to Charlotte. She then picked her up. "That wasn't right Charlotte! You know better!" She scolded and marched her way over to Nero and looked at him. "Can you please keep an eye on her. She needs to learn not to get blinded over by her anger." Nero nodded and holds her to his body so she wouldn't move. Charlotte was trying to complain but all her attempts just ended up in failure so she huffed and sat there quietly.

Misty just watched with wide eyes, a bruise now starting to form on her cheek. Selene was walking by Michelle when she heard her say: "Just be glad she doesn't know any psychic moves….yet." It was quiet enough for only her to hear and she just gave a nod. She then made her way to Misty.

Selene bent down and gave her a hand. "I'm sorry about that, her emotions can get the best of her sometimes," She said sheepishly.

Misty just stared at her dumbfoundedly and gave a small nod. Ash then walked over to the two and pointed his finger at her. "I don't like the way you're hurting Caterpie's feelings with your silly fear of bugs!"

Misty just narrowed her eyes and ignored him by turning her head away from Ash. The boy then turned to his little green buddy and smiled. "I don't think you're ugly or disgusting. Come on, climb onto my shoulder," He said as he laid his hand down to see if he would do so. The caterpie turned his head to Pikachu who nodded in response. "You're not going to scare Misty anymore," Ash said gently. How he was treating his new pokemon felt like he did it before but wasn't sure how. He thought it had something to do with a distant memory. The caterpie smiled before climbing up his arm and onto his shoulder.

"What do you mean he won't scare me?" Misty asked, her arms still wrapped around Pikachu.

"We'll go on without her," Ash said simply before turning his head away from her and started to walk off.

Selene was beginning to follow him, she had motioned for Nero to join her. In his arms was the pouting Charlotte. Michelle was beginning to follow them with Akiko back on her head. She was starting to pass Misty when Luke came to her side. She then turned her head to the girl on the ground. "You're letting your fear rule your life and hurting others without considering their feelings just because Pokemon use a different language and look different, doesn't mean they don't have feelings." After her little spiel, she continued walking, Luke following behind her.

Pikachu had jumped out from her arms and scampered to follow Ash and the gang. Misty just narrowed her eyes and huffed as she watched everyone leave her behind. "Oh yeah! I'll show you!" She muttered as she got up from the ground.

As they were walking, Pikachu looked over his shoulder and spotted Misty who was following them from a distance. He reached over and tugged on Ash's pant leg and pointed to her. "Pika..pi!"

"What' Pikachu, what is it?" He asked before looking up and spotting Misty as she tried to hide behind a tree.

Michelle turned to look after she heard the commotion. "Seriously?" She asked as she saw Misty hiding.

"Why are you following us for!" Ash called to her.

Misty then tried to think of an excuse. "M..my bike! You still owe me for my bike!"

"We already gave you enough money to buy yourself a new one!" Selene countered as she put a hand on her hip.

"Yeah!" Michelle snapped at her. "I thought that I made that explicitly clear!"

"When are you going to get over that dumb old bike anyhow!" Ash said with his hands in his pockets.

"For your information Mr. Pokemon Master! You're the dumb one for if you hadn't destroyed it in the first place then I could've been out of here by now!" Misty said as she ignored the older girl who stood beside him.

"It was struck by LIGHTNING! It wasn't the pokemon's fault! We can't control nature!" Michelle hollered back.

"That's the legendaries' job…" Selene muttered with a chuckle.

"And if i'm so dumb! How come are you still following me!" Ash hollered back.

Michelle couldn't help but crack a little laugh, "He's got a point there Misty," She said to her.

Misty finally came away from the tree and placed a hand on her pocket. "I'm not following you, this just so happens to be the fastest path to get out of the woods." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Nero grumbled in pokespeach. "Likely story."

"Fine, do whatever you want," Ash said as he dropped the conversation and continued his way down the path. His group of cousins following him.

"That's exactly what I'm doing!" Misty shouted back before continuing her walk. Pikachu just sighed at the fight that just finished.


	7. Follow Your Dreams

The night was upon them and the small group had formed a camp in the woods. Their sleeping bags were all around a small fire that flickered in the dark. It's orange glow giving warmth to the people surrounding it. Selene was brushing Charlotte's short blonde hair, she was humming as she did so. Nero was asleep under a tree, his soft snores appearing every now and then. Luke was with Michelle as they talked through their minds.

Ash was lying in his sleeping bag, his body by a stump that separated him and Misty. Pikachu and Caterpie were sitting on the stump as they looked down upon their trainer. "We better get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be a big day," Ash said to his beloved pokemon. They both nodded in agreement.

"Well, we'd all get some sleep if you would shut your big mouth!" Misty muttered from her side of the stump. This caused Ash to sit up and glare over to her side. Hearing the commotion both Luke and Michelle open their eyes. They were meditating when Misty's shrill voice broke their concentration. More pairs of glaring eyes were now on Misty as Luke gave a growl of annoyance. Charlotte just huffed as Selene tried to hold back her sister's snarky attitude.

Ash just huffed as he laid back down. He closed his eyes while muttering to her. "Don't let the bedbugs bite," Michelle snorted at her cousin's comment.

Pikachu and Caterpie looked at each other before Pikachu looked over the edge of the stump to Misty's sleeping figure. He looked concerned before hearing Caterpie call out to him. Caterpie was looking up at the sky as he was telling Pikachu of his dream. Selene, Michelle, Charlotte, and Luke turned towards the two mons. Smiles were creeping on their lips. The Ampharos girl smiled as she let some of her parts show. Her ears popped out from beneath her hair and her tail came out and glowed a bit like the fire.

Michelle smiled as she saw her cousin go into her half form. She decided to follow suit. Her Pikachu ears came out and into view, her red circles appeared on her cheeks as a tail came out with a heart indent at the end. Charlotte smiled as she watched them both. Even though she desperately wanted to be able to go into her half form she was still learning how to. So instead of half, she turned into her full Smoochum form. Her small figure wasn't even half the size of her sister. Luke was smiling as he watched their transformations since he was doing his ritual he could not turn into his full human self or even his half form. A loud snort came from the sleeping Nero who just twitched and scratched his stomach scales before turning over to the other side.

Pikachu had turned to see the transformations and his eyes sparkled, he nudged Caterpie to show him the mystical and well-known hybrids. The hybrids were known by the pokemon but were forgotten by most of the humans, only the most trustworthy of people were allowed to remember who they were. The legendaries had favored the hybrids and made this defense so they would not be persecuted. Caterpie just looked at them in awe and made happy noises. The happy noises awoke the slumbering Akiko who was sleeping by Luke nearby. Her ears twitched and a smile came to her face as she scampered up to the small group.

"Your dream is beautiful Caterpie and I know that you will succeed," Selene said softly as she went and bent down by the stump and petted the small Caterpie.

Michelle then walked over, "Well you definitely got what it takes," She said before bending down and picking up Akiko, letting her lay on top of her head like usual.

"With hard work and determination, I know you can go far," Said a sort of deep voice. Selene turned to see Luke, he was the one who spoke. Since everyone else was asleep, he was able to talk freely. Though he knew it wouldn't be long.

Michelle chuckled," Finally! The man speaks!"

Luke just rolled his eyes with a chuckle.

"Oh you know you love me," Michelle said with a cheeky smile. Akiko was giggling at the small sibling banter.

Charlotte just yawns a bit. "Caterpie, don't forget your dream…" Charlotte said in a sleepy voice as she sways her way towards the sleeping Haxorus.

"Don't forget to change back into your human form Charlotte," Selene said as she watched her.

'I..won't,.. I won't," Charlotte mumbles before she turned back to her little girl self and went and kneeled by the sleeping beast. She gently nudged him which resulted in a grunt as he rolled over to face her and grabs her without opening his eyes. Charlotte just smiles as she drifted into sleep. Selene just shook her head with a happy smile. She thought that they were odd but she loved them anyway.

"We should turn back as well and get some sleep," Michelle said as she looked at the moon before heading to her own sleeping bag. Along the way, she shifted back to her human form and snuggled in. Luke followed and was now lying by her side. Akiko was now snuggled in Michelle's arms as she also went to sleep once more.

Selene smiled as she watched them before she turned her head back to the two small pokemon who were looking up at her. "Caterpie, Pikachu, don't stay up too late, you need your strength. Tomorrow will bring new adventures and surprises," She said softly before standing back up and slowly morphed back to her human self. What she didn't know was that Ash had woken up a little bit. He was still half asleep. He saw her but as he blinked he saw that she was normal, so he pushed the thought away, thinking he was still asleep. He closed his eyes once more as Selene made her way to her own sleeping bag and fell asleep. Ash was slowly seeping back into slumber but his mind wandered at the image he saw and the familiarity that it brought him.

Morning was soon upon the group of campers, the fire was out and Pikachu was asleep atop of the stump. Misty was the first to awake and as her eyes began to clear the blur, she saw Caterpie sleeping by her head. Her eyes went big as she started to panic. Her loud pitched scream woke up everyone in the surrounding area. Ash and Pikachu jolted from their dreams as the noise rang through their ears. Selene opened her eyes wide and looked a bit freaked out. Michelle just huffed as she sat up and rubbed her ears.

"What did I say about loud noises!" Michelle hollered in annoyance as Luke, Nero, and Lottie woke up and glared at the ginger. It was only when she stopped talking did she feel another weight in her arms. She looked down to see Akiko in one arm, and another Caterpie in the other.

Ash looked over as he got up, "What, what's wrong?" He asked as he started to look around. "What's happening?" He asked.

"W..what is this thing doing sleeping near me?" Misty whined as she cowered before the small bug pokemon.

Ash blinked and smiled,"Oh, Caterpie just wants to be your friend," He said with a chuckle.

"If that thing wants to be my friend then it should stop bugging me already!" Misty snapped back as she was freaking out. She then puts her arms on her hips and glares down at the small pokemon. "If your a pokemon then get out of my face and into your pokeball!"

Caterpie was now upset as it's eyes started to water. Ash saw this and stood for Caterpie. "Misty! You are so unbelievable!"

"I agree with Ash," Michelle said with a growl, keeping the small Caterpie in her arms away from the view of Misty so she wouldn't freak out over them both. She didn't want him to be insulted as well.

"Caterpie means no harm, why he likes you I'll never know.," Ash stated as he looked down as Caterpie started to crawl away dejectedly. Ash frowned seeing this and he started to crawl on the ground in his sleeping bag to keep up with his new pokemon. "Oh Caterpie, what's the matter?" He asked. The small bug then slithered itself onto the stump and opened the pokeball and was sucked in. "Caterpie!" Ash called out. Pikachu starts to tap the ball to try and get him out.

Ash then started to yell at Misty. "Alright Misty! You owe Caterpie an apology! Bug pokemon have feelings too!"

The small Caterpie that was in Michelle's arms leaped out and made his way over to the girl and started to scold her for hurting his friend's feelings. Seeing the other bug pokemon, she let out a quick scream and was paralyzed with fear. Michelle walked over to Ash and the stunned girl, she picked up Akiko with her as she walked.

Ash blinked as he saw the other Caterpie. He smiled and bent down to pet him. "Hello, little fellow, where did you come from?" He asked.

Michelle smiled, "I found him in my arms when I woke up this morning. From what little I gathered, He is friends with your Caterpie, which is why he would be scolding Misty at this moment."

Selene smiled, "If he's friends with Ash's then you shouldn't break up the friendship, you should capture him so that they could be together."

"Good idea!" Michelle beamed before bending down to the small bug's level. "Hey little guy, would you like to be my pokemon? You get to see your friend a lot more."

The small Caterpie stopped scolding Misty for that moment to look at Michelle with wide eyes. He blushed and shyly looked to the ground as he nodded his head in a yes.

"Oh my Arceus! You're so cute!" Michelle beamed. "Here," She said as she fished a pokeball from her bag before bringing the ball over to the bug. She lets him press the button and he was engulfed by the red beam and was captured.


	8. Naming Pokemon

"Come on out!" Michelle called in a happy tone as she let the newly captured caterpie out. From his pokeball the new member of the team popped out he made some happy noises. She bent down and let her arms stretch out so that he could climb on and sit on her shoulder. "So..I was thinking of giving you a name, what do you think?" She asked the small pokemon.

Ash raised a brow. "Naming a pokemon?"

Michelle turned her attention to Ash and raised a brow. "You didn't notice that I named Akiko?" She asked as she pointed to the small Pichu on her head. Pikachu started to break out laughing at his trainer.

Ash just huffed and folded his arms. "It's not a very common practice," He said to her.

"We know, but Michelle and I have a theory that if you give pokemon names, they will have more trust towards their trainers," Selene said with a chuckle.

"Besides, I don't exactly see myself as normal," Michelle said.

"In more ways than one, "Selene snickered the last part.

Michelle just gave her a look before she continued. "Now, how do you feel about the name Enzi?" She asked him. The caterpie gave a smile and a nod. "It means powerful, just how I feel you would become one day." Enzi then started to blush and he turned red like a tomato. He started to nuzzle her neck in shyness.

"I didn't know Caterpies can turn that shade of red," Lottie said with a cute giggle. Luke and Nero snickered in the background.

Misty was about to say something but Selene gave her a stern glare as to warn her not to say anything.

Seeing how Caterpie's friend was now part of the group, he turned to his pokeball on the stump and tried to coax his caterpie out. "Come on Caterpie, don't you worry some day you'll show her. Now, why don't you come out and say hi to your friend."

Misty still being quiet, looked a bit sorry before she heard some flapping from above. Ash heard it too and watched as a Pidgeotto flew down and landed in the grass near the stump. He soon lifted his head to show that he was eating a very small worm.

"O wow! A Pidgeotto!" Ash exclaimed happily as he turned his hat backward. He then took out his dex and it gave out information about the Pidgeotto. "Alright Pidgeotto, I'll show you that I'm the dangerous one around here," He then took out a pokeball and flung it at the bird pokemon, only to have her hit the ball back at him with her wing. Ash looked dumbfounded.

"You don't get it do you?" Misty asked as she had her arms on her hips. "You don't just throw a pokeball to capture a pokemon. You have to make it battle and weaken it first."

"Thank you, miss obvious," Michelle said from behind her. Akiko snickering as she said that. Enzi just quietly watches from her shoulder.

Misty ignores the comment before she prattled on. "The only reason you were able to catch Caterpie was because it was already a weakling."

"Oi!" Michelle said as she watched her cousin get fired up.

"I know what I'm doing, and you better quit picking on Caterpie," Ash said in determination and fury. "And now, if you kindly keep your big MOUTH shut, then you'll see how it's done!" He said as he got close to her face before turning around and picking up the ball again.

"Ooh burn," Michelle smirked from the back. She then high-fived Luke who came to stand beside her. He was giving out snickers. Nero was just rolling his eyes. Lottie who was on the back of Nero gasped at the scene.

"Misty, you should really just let him learn. He won't get any better if he doesn't fail a few times first." Selene said in a calm tone.

"Plus, he doesn't even listen to us half the time," Michelle responded afterward. Misty just huffed again before she watched Ash once more.

Ash then threw Caterpie's ball at the bird pokemon. "Go Caterpie!": He called out and Caterpie came out from his ball. That made Selene double over in disappointment.

Everyone gasped at what he did. Especially Misty, she was surprised that he would put the weakest pokemon on his team out to fight instead of Pikachu. Pikachu was just in utter shock.

"It's not a bad plan actually," Michelle pointed out. "This will help Caterpie gain confidence in himself. Right Enzi?" she asked the small bug on her shoulder. He nodded to his friend and started to cheer him on.

"Ha! I told you I knew what I was doing!" Ash said in a cocky tone as he looked over to the group.

"Oi, don't get cocky," Michelle responded as her arms folded. Akiko spoke in agreement as she followed Michelle's movements and crossed her little arms as well.

"You don't know about the mistake you just made, didn't you," Misty complained as her fingers turned into fists.

"D..did I do something wrong?" He asked in thought before he heard Caterpie screaming as the poor bug pokemon was running around with the Pidgeotto at his back.

"Yeah, don't take your eyes off your pokemon in a pokemon battle, especially when the foe is your pokemon's natural enemy," Michelle said with a sigh.

Ash gasped. "Caterpie!" Caterpie was now trying to dodge the incoming bird and he was getting tired. "Caterpie! Counter Attack!" He ordered. Caterpie stopped and turned to his foe. He wasn't able to do an attack and got hit, knocking him over to the tree and was phased. The Pidgeotto then started to fly towards the hurt caterpie.

"Quickly call him back!" Misty called.

Ash sighed a bit in defeat. "Alright Caterpie, return" He then took out his ball and returned him to it. He then turned to Pikachu. "Pikachu, you're in!" He ordered.

"Pi!" Pikachu said as he got into position as the Pidgeotto tried to get her beak out of the bark of the tree.

"Thundershock attack!" Ash called out to his first pokemon and now new friend. Pikachu nodded before electricity started to crackle over his red cheeks. He then shot the lightning bolt at the bird and it hit its target. "Pokeball go!" He called out as he threw an empty one at the now damaged pokemon.

Once the ball hit the ground it started to shake until it 'dinged' to signal that the pokemon had been captured. Ash then smiled and started to dance around. "We did it! We caught a Pidgeotto!" He beamed as he went to pick up the new member of his team.

"So are you going to name her?" Selene asked as she put a hand on her hip.

Ash looked over and chuckled. "No,"


	9. The Road to Metapod

Misty was going to lecture Ash but was cut off by a high-pitched woman's laughter. "So we meet again?" Came a male voice.

"I know that voice…" Ash said and Selene gave a sigh.

Out from the shadows, the three figures of Team Rocket came out and started to say their spiel.

"No, not this thing again," Ash mutters as they continued.

"So prepare to fight!" The trio said as they finished their theme.

"Um, we are kind of busy right now," Ash said as put his hands behind his head.

"Be quiet little boy," Jesse muttered."We're not here to listen to you, we are here to get those pokemon!" Both Jesse and James were now pointing to Pikachu who was on the ground and Akiko that was on Michelle's head.

"Hand over that Pikachu and Pichu," James said.

"No," Ash said with a deadpan look and voice. "Go find your own."

"He's acting like his old self," Michelle whispered to Selene who nodded.

"Yes, but I hope it will stay," She whispered back.

Misty was looking Ash with confusion. His answer to the thieves was a drastic change in his personality. One that she did not see coming.

"Our own? We are only looking for the most rare of pokemon, and your Pikachu fits nicely into that picture," James smirked.

"As well as that Pichu. Doing an electricity attack without fainting is quite a feat for a pokemon who usually does," Jessie said in a purr-like motion, a smirk of her own on her face.

Meowth was getting fed up with their talking so he went and fury swiped their faces. "Don't reveal our secrets!" he snarled. Out from beside Ash, Michelle, Akiko, and Enzi were bursting out laughing while Luke just gave a smirk as he watched the scene.

Ash went to turn to Pikachu and smiled. "Did you hear that Pikachu? You are something special." Pikachu smiled happily. He had instinctively gone to talk to Pikachu like he did when he was younger. He always talked to the pokemon around him before the accident that left him void of his prior memories. To him, it was like an instinctive call.

"Your pikachu's electricity level exceeds his evolutionary line," Meowth commented as he folded his arms. Before Meowth can continue, his teammates started to kick and stomp on him.

"Now YOU are giving away our secrets!" Both the blue haired man and the pink haired lady snarl in unison.

"Pokemon abuse," Michelle mock coughed to Selene as she shook her head in a deadpan voice. "These guys are idiots."

"Tell me about it," Selene muttered as she folded her arms.

From on top of Nero's shoulders, Charlotte was crossing her arms and huffing. "Stop hurting that Meowth! It's not right! Even if he is a big meanie!"

The trio stopped their fighting before Meowth piped up, "Thanks, Squirt."

"But don't thank us just yet, you'll change your minds once we steal those two as well," Jessie said as she pointed to Luke and Nero. "Our boss would love these rare pokemon. Pokemon he hasn't seen, pokemon that have strong power," Jessie smirked.

Michelle then snarled,"You are NOT laying a finger on my BROTHER!" Akiko was giving a snarling face as well as Enzi was fired up as well. The girl didn't look intimidating with the two baby pokemon on her. Selene was too slow to close Michelle's mouth when the brother statement came out. Luke was snarling next to Michelle.

"Brother?" The trio of thieves asked in confusion. Misty, Ash, and Pikachu looked at her as well with the same expression.

"Like how pokemon can feel like a brother or a part of the family kind of feeling? I'm sure you three know what it's like to have it. You treat Meowth like a part of the family." Selene said quickly, trying to hide the strangeness of that statement.

"We are not a pandy, dandy family. We are a team. A team doesn't have time for little things like a family," Jessie remarked as she huffed.

"Besides, I'm not like any ordinary pokemon, I can TALK," Meowth said with a roll of his eyes.

Luke just smirked at the cat pokemon's comment before giving Michelle a look. Then they both looked at Meowth and he used Aura speech: "Are you sure about that?"

All three thieves went wide eyed and their jaws dropped in surprise. "WHAT?" They said in exasperation.

"It's an ability of his,' Michelle said with a smirk,"Of course Lucario's have to be strong to know how to use it."

Jessie then smirked as she liked how powerful the Lucario sounded. She then lifted her head in pride. "I don't care, you just shut your trap and hand over your pokemon now. Before things get messy."

Ash just huffed and muttered," Never"

"Then that leaves us no choice. Koffing go get them!" James said as he flamboyantly let Koffing's pokeball go into the air towards them.

"Ekans go!" Jessie said and released her precious snake pokemon.

Pikachu instinctively went onto the battlefield first. Akiko got off Michelle's head and followed her brother out onto the field. Electricity starting to zap through their cheek pouches.

"Koffing! Sludge Attack!" James said quickly and the Koffing spewed sludge at the two mice pokemon. The sludge landed in their faces. He attacked too quickly for them to order anything. The two quickly went to retrieve their electric pokemon. Michelle quickly tried to help the tiny one out with getting the gunk out of her eyes to no avail. Pikachu was trying to get his face cleaned as well.

Ash turned to Misty, "Can you please look after Pikachu. They would do anything to get their hands on him." He said maturely. Misty was surprised at how he acted. "Misty snap out of it!" He said and Misty gently took Pikachu out of his arms as he looked back at the Pokemon battle. Michelle was handing Akiko to Charlotte who looked worried over the small pokemon.

"I'll help her, stop those meanies!" Charlotte said gently as she held Akiko and tried to get the sludge off as well with a wet cloth that she got from her bag. Nero gave a grunt of agreement as he tried to help as well.

"So what now little man?" Jessie asked with a smirk.

Ash turned his hat backward before he let Pidgeotto's ball spin onto the battlefield. Out came the bird he recently caught. Soon Clancy was out beside her as Selene stepped beside Ash to help him out this time.

"Come on Clancy, help her out!" Selene said. Clancy cawed a battle cry, trying to impress the Pidgeotto.

"No time for flirtations, go and fight!" Selene said with a sigh as she put her hand on her head.

"What it is with you and pokemon that flirt? It's like that at home too," Michelle said with an unbelieved look. Selene gave her a shrug.

"Koffing it's grime time," James said as he held up a rose to his face in a dramatic way.

"Please don't tell me he just said that, please, oh please not that line," Michelle said with a deadpan look. Selene just looked dumbfounded.

"Koffing!" Koffing said in agreement to his master as he shot himself towards the Pidgeotto. The pidgeotto barely missed before he started to spew his grime.

"Ekans go get your dinner!" Jesse said as she pointed in Clancy's direction

Ekans nodded as he tried to bite Clancy as he flew by.

"Pidgeotto! Quick Attack!" Ash ordered and she did the attack. She whizzed downwards as the attack built up from her beak.

"Ekans! Go underground!" Jessie said quickly and Ekans burrowed underground to avoid the attack. Pidgeotto barely had time to pull up from her impending collision.

"Pidgeotto! Behind you, look out!" Ash called out as Koffing got ready to fire his slime. Pidgeotto quickly dodged but was in the line of attack for Ekans from the ground.

Right as Pidgeotto was going to throw another attack at the toxic ball pokemon, Clancy swooped behind her and took the sneak attack from the snake and got knocked out.

"Clancy! Come on back!" Selene called as she quickly retrieved Clancy into his pokeball. "You did great, nice try in impressing. I'm sure that last hit you took was one that would inspire her." She said softly to the resting bird.

Not too long after, Pidgeotto was knocked out and Ash quickly retrieved her into her ball so she can rest. With a bout of anger, he rushed towards James.

"Buzz off," James said as he flicked him backward.

Michelle's eyes started to glow blue with aura as her anger started to boil seeing her cousin get pushed around like a rag doll. Meowth spotted the change and narrowed his eyes but he didn't say anything. He was intrigued by the simple change. The girl then marched forward and dodged any attempts to push her away before hitting each of them on the head, leaving an impressive bump on their heads. She then grabbed Jessie and James in one hand by the collars of their shirts, while she grabbed Meowth by the tail with the other. She then brought their faces close before muttering, "If you EVER touch a SINGLE hair on my cousin, I'LL show you the NEW meaning to the word PAIN!" She then dropped them before walking back to Ash and placed Enzi on her shoulder. She had let him off her before the battle started. The three just stared in slight fear before regaining their senses quickly.

The small group had surrounded Ash to see if he was ok before the trio started talking again. "I guess you have no choice. Let Pikachu fight for his freedom, along with that Pichu as well." Jessie started before James ended.

Akiko then growled as she started to yell at them in poke language. Meowth picked up what she was saying and gave a small smirk. "The runt says her name is Akiko," he interpreted to the two behind him.

"All right, then hand over AKIKO," James said with a roll of his eyes.

"Shut it," Michelle said simply and with a glare.

Pikachu then started to squirm in Misty's hands, the grime still in his eyes. "No Pikachu, you can't this condition." She said gently.

"That goes for you as well Akiko!" Michelle said to Akiko who tried to get out of Charlotte's arms.

Ash then started to talk to Caterpie, through his pokeball. "I know you're weak from fighting with Pidgeotto, but you are my only hope."

Michelle turned to the caterpie on her shoulder. "Are you ready to help your friend out Enzi?" Enzi just nodded as he made his way off her shoulder and onto the ground.

"Just give it your very best shot," Ash said before letting the small bug out of his pokeball. Enzi quickly crawled over to the battered bug to lend him some support. Caterpie smiled seeing how his friend was trying to help him.

James and Jessie then leaned in as they spotted the bugs coming to fight. "What are they?"

"They're bugs, little...bugs.." Meowth said just as much in shock as the two humans behind him. Then they all started to burst out laughing.

"Alright, if they continue to do that, they are going to get a complimentary bump next to the one I just gave them," Michelle muttered to Luke. He grunts in response.

Ekans and Koffing went and tried to fight without the commands of their owners, scaring Caterpie. Enzi crawled over top Caterpie to shield him but he was just as scared. In a sudden moment of genius, Ash called out the cowering bug. "Caterpie! String shot now!"

"Enzi you too!" Michelle said after Ash ordered it to help him out. Enzi stands up while Caterpie raises his head and they both fired at the oncoming enemies. Both enemies were then wrapped up tight like mummies. After their successful wrap-up, the two then charged at Koffing. It propelled him towards Ekans and knocks them out of sight.

"Beaten by bugs.." James said in shock.

"That really bugs me," Jessie said angrily.

"Now it's my turn," Meowth said as he showed off his claws to them. Caterpie instantly started to wrap the cat up with his string.

"Now that's what I call a mummy," Michelle said with a smirk.

"It's time for Team Rocket to blast off," Jessie muttered as she and James grabbed Meowth and bolted out. James left the rose as a sign of retreat.

"You won this time, but next time won't be so easy," James muttered as the trio ran off into the distance.

"Come back anytime! We'll be glad to beat you!" Misty called out to them as they went out of sight. She then stuck her tongue out.

Ash then smiled as he threw his fist into the air. "We did it Caterpie! We beat a pokemon battle fair and square!" Caterpie then smiled as he cheered as well.

Michelle then kneeled down and rubbed her bug's head. "You did great Enzi." Enzi rubbed his head against her hand in return as he blushes.

Ash then picked up Caterpie like a baby. Enzi then was crawling up to his usual spot on Michelle's shoulder. "I'm so proud of you, you really did your best. Thanks to the two of you, we won." He said as he looked from his caterpie to Enzi.

Misty then smiled as she held Pikachu. "You are stronger than you look," she said to both Enzi and Caterpie. Pikachu and Akiko agreeing along with the others.

"Wow, it's about time that she actually complimented them," Selene said to Michelle with a smirk.

"You got that right,' Was her cousin's response as she continued to pet Enzi.

"Well Misty, I guess you feel different about Caterpie now!" Ash said as he held out him to Misty.

"Well, I…" Misty was saying.

"Why don't you two make-up and pet Caterpie on the head and say he did a good job," Ash said. Pikachu and Enzi nodded in agreement along with Akiko. The Pichu had gotten the grime out of her eyes and was now on top of Michelle's head.

"You like pokemon, so it's only right to congratulate one on doing a good job." Ash continued as he saw Misty hesitate.

"I...guess you're right," Misty said reluctantly as she moved her hand towards Caterpie's head only to reel back in surprise as he started to shoot out his string.

Michelle gave a small squeak as Enzi was doing the exact same thing. Both Ash and Michelle put the caterpies on the ground as they continued to shoot their string in the air. Slowly covering themselves until they started to glow and change shape until two Metapods stood in their place.

Ash quickly took out his pokedex so that he could find out the new pokemon that he had. The pokedex then relayed the information of Metapod.

"I never heard of caterpies evolving this quickly before," Charlotte piped up as her eyes sparkled in amazement. Nero was grunting as he stood beside the small child.

"I wonder if that means he'll evolve quickly like he did before," Ash said in thought. He then picked up the green cocoon. "Hello Metapod, it's nice to meet you."

"Well Enzi, I'm proud of you," Michelle said behind Ash as she hugged her metapod. Enzi was blushing up a storm.

As Misty was going all sentimental a beedrill buzzed by and she broke down. "I'll do anything to get out of this forest!" She pleaded.

Selene chuckled as the group started to pack up everything and soon they were on the road again. As they walked, Metapod was sticking out of his backpack. While they walked, Ash recalled the 'brother' statement that was said by Michelle and pondered why that struck such a chord in him.


	10. Idiot Samurai

Out of the blue Misty started to scream as she clung onto a low bearing branch.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked as he and Pikachu looked towards the cowering girl.

"T..t...there was another bug over there!" Misty whined as she started to point in a direction.

Selene sighed as she came to the base of the tree. "Calm down misty, it's going to be fine. There is no bug," She said with a shake of her head.

"No bug? No bug! There is one right there!" Misty angrily pointed as she hopped down from the tree. Her finger was in the direction where a small yellow larva. With a horn on its head. She then hid behind Ash.

"A weedle!" Ash exclaimed happily as he took out his pokedex. It explains how the pokemon has a stinger and that it is very painful. He then made an interested noise after the dex finished its entry.

"Why are you so excited about a bug with a stinger!" Misty asked in a complaint.

"You've got to be kidding me, you expect me to miss a chance on catching another pokemon?" He asked with a determined face. "I'm going to catch it, come on Pikachu," He said before looking towards the small mouse who decided to take an early nap.

Selene gave a sigh and facepalmed a bit. "You gotta be kidding me…" She mumbled as she watched them.

"Really Pikachu? Now? Come on Pidgeotto, Metapod, let's go catch another teammate." Ash said as he held the two pokeballs in his hand. Though at the moment the weedle that Ash was thinking of catching had made his way over to Misty and started to try and climb her leg. The girl froze before letting out a scream as she tried to get the bug off her.

"Why are all the bugs going to her?" Selene sighed as she quickly picked up the Weedle and setting it down away from the frightened red head.

"I have no clue," Michelle answered her. "But it's kind of entertaining." her comment got her a glare from Misty.

"Don't just stand there! Catch it!" She cried before she ran off and away from the bug.

Ash gave a hmph before he brought his hat back and threw a pokeball towards the weedle and it released Pidgeotto. "Pidgeotto! I choose you!" The giant female bird towered over the bug as Ash shouted. "Gust attack!" She then used the attack as she swooped into the air and dived for the weedle, knocking it over a few times as she did so. "That's the way to do it!" He complimenting his bird.

As Ash was trying to catch his third pokemon, Misty had ran off in a random direction. Saying why the forest had to be crawling with bug types. Nero and Charlotte decided to follow her, just to keep an eye on her. Hoping she wouldn't get hurt. Out from the bushes, a boy in a samurai costume came and landed in front of her, making Misty shriek.

"Greetings O Shrieking Maiden!" The boy said as he held a sword to her face, a net on his back. "Are you by any chance a trainer that comes from the town of Pallet?" He asked. Nero instinctively pulled Misty out of the way and gave a growl.

Charlotte was growling as well as she was on Nero's shoulders. "No! She's not from Pallet Town! Neither are we! Who told you that pointing a sword in front of people's faces was a sign of good manners? It's not!" She scolded.

The boy rebounded a bit seeing how the towering, unknown pokemon was now standing in his way. He quickly put the sword down. He didn't say anything but looked warily at the new people he just encountered. "Then where are you two from?" He asked.

"None of your business," Charlotte huffed. "You don't want my cousin to see you with that sword. She'll take it. She's very fond of things like that." She explained.

The boy just huffed as he sheathed his samurai sword. 'Alright," He muttered a bit. His eye still on Nero. "What kind of pokemon is this?" He asked as he tried to poke him, though as he got too close, Nero gave a warning growl. He got the hint and backed up a bit.

"This is Nero and he is a Haxorus, a pokemon from a different region," Charlotte explained. Misty, on the other hand, was watching the whole scene before her. She just rolled her eyes and looked away and towards the distance.

"Well then, my search continues," The boy said before heading off in a different direction. He then turned his attention to the red head. "I advise you to refrain from shrieking while passing through this forest unless your goal is to attract a horde of beedrills." He then walked away.

Misty then looked at Charlotte and said, 'What a weird kid,"

"He's even weirder than my family," Charlotte responded with a nod. Nero just grunted and gave a small smirk.

"I wonder why he would be looking for a pokemon trainer from….That's Ash!" She gasped.

As the trio had met the strange boy from the bushes, Ash was still battling the weedle. As his Pidgeotto was darting towards the bug, it darted towards her with his horn. "Pidgeotto! Watch out for its stinger!" Ash called out and at the last minute, his Pidgeotto dodged it.

"Nice Work!" Ash said complimenting the speed of his newly caught pokemon.

Pidgeotto went and gave one last strike to the weedle, knocking it over with a gust of wind. Ash seeing his opportunity, took out an empty pokeball. "Weedle, I got you now!" He said with a beam. The weedle was knocked out on the ground.

Before he could catch the pokemon, a voice was heard behind the four. "Greetings,' He said. "Am I addressing the trainer that comes from the town of Pallet?" He asked straightforwardly.

"I'm a pokemon trainer from Pallet, but I'm busy," Ash said as he was ready to catch his latest encounter.

"I have found you at last," The boy said before grabbing and unsheathing the sword at his side.

"ASH!" Misty screams as she ran towards him. From behind her were Nero and Charlotte.

Ash turned around to see the boy screaming and putting the sword to his face. Michelle quickly took the sword out of his hand while grabbing him and throwing over her shoulder. Putting his sword to his face.

"Who are you?!" Misty asked as she came to Ash's side.

"And don't you know it's rude to point a sword at people's faces!" Michelle scolded at him.

"I already told him that," Charlotte pouted.

"Good job," Michelle praised the small girl as the sword was still pointing at the boy.

Charlotte then smirked as she looked at the boy on the ground. "See I told you she would take it! I told you so!"

The boy huffed and knocked the sword away a bit as he stood up. "I'm Samurai, I'm also shrewd and completely invincible in combat!" He explained.

"Mmm, this is fake," Michelle commented before raising a brow. "Who would name their kid Samurai?" She asked before handing the sword back to him.

"My mother, that's who!" Samurai said angrily.

Michelle quickly threw up her hands in defense. "No offense meant!"

Samurai just huffed. He then returned his attention to Ash again. "I've been searching the whole forest for you!"

Ash blinked,"What do you want from me?"

"A pokemon match! Let us see who triumphs!" He said as he jutted his pokeball at Ash.

"Wait, let me catch this weedle," Ash said before looking back to see that the Weedle had recovered from his knock out and had left the area. He gave a sigh before returning Pidgeotto. "Couldn't you have waited until I had caught the Weedle?" He asked the boy.

"Don't blame your failure on me, your pokemon handling was dim witted and clumsy," Samurai said.

"Oi brat! It was your fault! How would you expect someone to catch a pokemon when someone was waving a sword in their face,' Michelle commented angrily.

Samurai just rolled his eyes. "I'll show you!" Ash said as he accidentally sent out Pidgeotto. His face fell a bit seeing his mistake.

"How do you expect me to battle a pooped out pokemon, your mistake will prove to be fatal. Pinsir resume battle mode!" Samurai called as he brought his Pinsir out.

Ash quickly took out his dex to know the info about his new rival. It spoke about his powerful pincers on his head. "Those pincers look pretty tough," He said as Pidgeotto got to her feet and looked at the giant bug. "Pidgeotto you can beat it," Ash said with confidence. Pincer just snapped his pincers in a challenging way before Ash called out an attack. Pidgeotto then started to whip up some sand, not really doing any damage.

"That's child's play!" Samurai called out with a smirk. "Pincer tackle her!" He ordered and the giant bug barreled towards her and knocked her to the ground. He then started to laugh obnoxiously at his small victory. "You're pokemon is beaten!"

"Pidgeotto return!" Ash called as he brought his wounded pokemon back.

"Novice! Are you ready to surrender!" Samurai asked from across the way.

"No way! I'm just warming up!" Ash said before throwing his Metapod ball. "Metapod I choose you now!"

"Watch and weep as my Pinsir crushes your Metapod in two," Samurai called.

"Oi! No killing!" Michelle piped up from the sidelines.

Pinsir then charged as he went to attack. "Metapod! Harden now!" Ash said at the last minute as his Metapod was in between the enemy's two pincers. When he started to try to crush the bug, his spikes on the inside broke.

"Pinsir return!" Samurai said as he brought his wounded pokemon back into the ball. "Clever, quite clever," He said.

Michelle whispered to Selene,"He's a nerd and not even the good kind," Selene stifled a laugh.

"Pokeball go!" Samurai said as he threw out his next pokemon who happened to be another Metapod. Both Michelle and Selene gave jaw drops. Charlotte just rolled her eyes. "Metapod! Harden like his!"

"Metapod use Harden again!" Ash called out before Samurai repeated the same attack.


	11. Beedrill Swarm

Ash then grins as he revealed his plan. "Alright, Metapod use string shot on the tree branch and hit the other Metapod!" His Metapod gave a slight nod before using string shot and slammed his hardened body against the other one, knocking it into the tree and knocked it out.

Misty then beamed as she piped up, "And the winner is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"

Ash just grins as he went and picked up his Metapod. "You did great Metapod!"

"Nice! You used his strength against him!" Michelle said as she smiled.

"A well-planned strategy," Selene said before she looked around and slightly narrowed her eyes.

Misty was doing that as well until she asked. "What is that….?"

"Beedrills," Selene said before turning to the rest of the group, only to see Samurai had left with his Metapod.

Ash's pokedex piped up and explained what a beedrill was. Only when the swarm came into view did the small group notice that one rogue beedrill came and swooped up Ash's Metapod.

Enzi was put back into his ball before Ash darted towards the flying beedrill. He was trying to return Metapod only for the beedrill to fly away and out of range. Misty took the chance and grabbed Ash's arm and pulled him in a different direction. Michelle and Selene spotted them running away, so they went after them. Luke, Charlotte, and Nero were following Samurai. Once they were far enough, Michelle quickly pulled Ash and Misty behind a bush. Selene following in pursuit. The buzzing of the beedrill cleared out until it became silent.

Ash, Misty, Michelle, and Selene all looked up to see a bunch of Kakunas was hanging from the tree. Some were sticking to the trunk of the tree. On the other side of the glade and out of the eyesight of the first group were Luke, Charlotte, Nero, and Samurai. Samurai looked up and winced. "A whole hive of Kakuna.."

"Oh wow! Kakunas! They're so cute!" Charlotte smiled happily as her eyes glowed from excitement. Nero just rolled his eyes. Luke telepathically told Michelle that they were near a hive of kakuna.

Michelle heard Luke before whispering to Selene,"They are just across the glade from us, with that Samurai kid,"

Selene let out a pent-up sigh of relief. "She always makes me worry.," She said before looking at the giant tree in front of them. Misty was quivering beside them.

"So they don't do anything until they are evolved," muttered Ash as he watched the perfectly still scene. He was looking at the base of the tree and that was when he spotted his Metapod.

They were trying to be quiet as can be so that they didn't disturb the Kakunas, but unfortunately for them, a shriek of a spearow was heard overhead. Making the Kakunas hatch and evolve.

"Beedrills…." Misty whimpered as she started to freeze on the spot. "They evolved!"

"Oh...man," Michelle sighed before standing up and running towards the other side of the glade where they met up with the others. They continued to run as the swarm followed. Samurai was leading the small group when he spotted his small cabin. He motioned them to follow him and he opened the door. One by one they filed in and as soon as he closed the door, the Beedrills punctured it with their stingers.

"I think you are going to need a new door…" Michelle said to him as she regained her breath. Her arms wrapping around the frightened Pichu.

Ash let out a sigh of relief,"That was close."

"You can say that again," Luke said in all their minds.

That made Samurai freeze a bit as he heard the voice but regained his demeanor when he takes off his armor to reveal his small stature. Ash then looked at the small boy. "So you fought other trainers from Pallet?" He asked. "Did you battle against Gary?"

"Ah! There were three spectacular matches. Each more challenging than the last. Those trainers really know how to raise pokemon. Even though I was defeated all three times, I was inspired to redouble my own training. I have been eagerly training to beat the next trainer from Pallet." He started to explain to him with pride.

"And you lost," Michelle interrupted him.

"Yes, and I was wrong for doubting him. I have more training I need to do, and hopefully, I will become stronger than before." Samurai finished.

"That explains why you were waiting out in the forest," Misty said as she held her bag in her arms. Samurai gave her a nod.

"Yes, and you can stay for as long as you like, or until the beedrill are gone," He said to the group.

They all gave him thanks, it wasn't long until the sun had set and the night was upon them. Everyone was asleep, all except for Ash, who was worrying about his Metapod. He wouldn't sleep very well and the day was soon upon them once more. In the morning, Selene and Michelle had woken up to find that Ash was missing. They figured that he was going to try and save his Metapod. They knew that Pikachu was going to keep him out of trouble. They were on their way to catch up with him when they heard a small commotion.

Feeling curious, the two girls followed the buzzing noise to find a small clearing and in the middle was a small weedle protecting an equally small pidgey. It was a strange sight to see in Kanto, but not from where they were from. The small weedle was angrily pointing her stinger at the beedrill that were surrounding them. The small pidgey next to her was wounded from the small fight that had ensued when he tried to protect her.

"What the heck is going on here!" Michelle said before storming towards the commotion. Her body changing to her half form as she did so. Her Pikachu ears and tail appearing as well as the red sacks on her cheek that were sparking with electricity. The beedrills stopped as they heard and saw Michelle coming after them. They started to back away before flying off, leaving the two with the two wounded pokemon.

"Oh my, the poor dearies," Selene said as she came up to the Weedle and picked her up in her arms. The small bug snuggled into her arms. Selene's Ampharos ears poked out from her white hair. "This little darling told me she was trying to protect him," she said as she looked over to Michelle who was picking up the small pidgey in her arms.

Michelle nodded as she laid her hand on the small wound and used Aura Pulse to heal him. It took a bit but soon the wounds had disappeared from the small bird.

"We can't just let these two get picked on. They need loving homes," Selene said as she looked at the weedle who was staring up at her with big eyes.

"I think we should ask them if they want to join us first," Michelle said before chuckling. "So little, brave bird. Would you like to come with me?" She asked a smile on her lips. The bird's eyes shone happily and he chirped a yes. "Alright!" Michelle cheered. 'I'm going to call you Xylon, it means from the forest." She said as she explained to him as she took out an empty pokeball. He eagerly chirped before pecking the button and being encompassed by red light.

Selene smiled as she saw the whole ordeal. "And what about you?" She asked as the small bug in her arms. The weedle beamed and nodded. "Alright, I'll call you Devi then." She said which resulted in her getting a happy nuzzle. The Ampharos hybrid beamed as she took out an empty pokeball of her own before letting Devi touch it and go inside. She then turned to Michelle before chuckling,"Let's leave the poor darlings to rest in their balls. We need to find Ash before he gets hurt."

"Or into more trouble as our family seems prone to," Michelle nodded before heading towards their original destination.

"Yes, quite," Selene said before following after her.

Meanwhile, back at the Kakuna tree, Ash was crawling on the ground. He was trying to get as close as he can get, without alerting the sleeping beedrill. He was looking around before a paw landed on his head and pushing his face to the ground.

"Do you know what a Meowth's favorite game is?" Meowth asked before he was thrown off by Ash.

"Get off!" He shouted quietly. It resulted in getting his face scratched.

"Scratch and Sniffle?" Michelle asked as she let out a murderous aura. Then Meowth got hit by Selene's fist. She was holding it in for quite some time.

"Quiet, we don't want to wake the Beedrill," Selene mutters.

"You ok Ash?" Michelle asked as she helped him up. He gave a small nod before glaring at the cat pokemon near them.

A rather loud introduction started as James called from a big boulder nearby. "Hello!" Came James' voice.

"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie said afterward.

Michelle rolled her eyes,"Great, the idiots are about to do something stupid."

"Make it double!" James said as he continued their usual introduction.

"To protect the world from-" Jessie said before Ash interrupted.

"Be quiet!" He said in a harsh whisper.

Jessie's face contorted in that of hate. "Never interrupt the Team Rocket motto!"

"But the beedrill…!" Ash tried to explain in a desperate but harsh tone.

They just ignored him as they continued their spiel. Ash tried for the last time to quiet them, but they kept going. After their motto was done, smoke bombs exploded behind them. Letting out loud noises that awoke the sleeping bees. The swarm then rose from the top of the tree, Ash let out a scream. As Team Rocket was distracted by the swarm, Michelle grabbed onto Ash's arm and started to pull him away.

"Ash, we need to leave," Michelle said as she tried to move away, but he ripped his arm away from her and headed towards the base of the tree.

"I need to get Metapod!" He called before dodging the angry bees that were now going after Team Rocket.

Selene and Michelle quickly went after him. Team Rocket ran off screaming with the beedrills following close behind.

"There you are! Here!" Ash said with a soft smile as he held out his pokeball. Metapod shook his head, a bit angry that he was left by himself through the night.

Seeing how Ash was going nowhere with this conversation, Michelle let out Enzi. "Alright Enzi, please try to talk some sense into him," Enzi gave a nod before trying to persuade his friend into coming with them. An unnoticed beedrill was aiming at the Metapods, but Michelle discreetly used Iron Tail with her leg to kick the beedrill away. The beedrill went flying off into the distance.

Ash then looked at his cousin with his mouth agape. "What was that?" He asked.

"It's a move based off a Pokemon attack, It's my version of Iron Tail, a Steel-type move. It usually works on Rock types, right Selene?" Michelle explained to Ash before looking at Selene.

"Yes, it's very useful, Pikachu can probably learn that move," Selene said with a nod. "It will more than likely help down the road."

Ash nodded before hearing the buzzing noise once more. The beedrill had come back. His mind on revenge. Ash quickly picked up Metapod and started to run. Michelle had scooped up Enzi before following behind him with Selene at her side. Akiko was death gripping her arm at the whole ordeal. As they ran, Ash tried to explain the situation to Metapod, but he tripped and fell. Metapod then rolled out of his grip and was now laying on the ground, vulnerable. The beedrill then swooped down with another beedrill close to it.

Misty, Pikachu, Samurai, Lottie, Luke, and Nero finally arrived with Nero holding a giant net around them. "Ash!" Misty shouted.

"Watch out!" Called Samurai as both Ash and Michelle were targeted.

The beedrills then aimed for the two trainers and was about to use their Twin Needle attack. Both Metapod and Enzi jumped up to protect their trainers while they used Harden. The two beedrill had a broken needle each. Enzi and Metapod had a crack from their small battle. The bees then flew away in fear.

"Are you hurt? Are you ok Metapod?!" Ash asked in worry as he held his wounded pokemon.

All of a sudden, two beams of light shown from both Metapods' cracks. Everyone was in awe as two Butterfrees emerged from their cocoons. The two Butterfrees then started to dance around each other in happiness. The sight made Ash smile, while Michelle laughed happily.

Selene looked proud as Akiko was cheering from Michelle's arm. Lottie was happily clapping as she started to spin around in the net. Nero and Luke tried to get out of the small child's way before smiling at the two butterfly pokemon. Misty and Samurai both smile as they watch the scene. Pikachu gave a happy sigh.

"They're so beautiful," Misty whispered as she finally saw the beauty in the bug type.

Ash's pokedex then chimed as he spoke about Butterfree. The happy moment was spoiled when the swarm of Beedrills came back...again. They had enough of Team Rocket for now and came to seek the cause of the commotion that happened by their hive.

"For the love of Arceus! Enough already!" Michelle sighed in exasperation. Selene just shook her head as she saw them approach. Enzi and Butterfree flew in front of the group, ready to defend.

"Butterfree….." Ash said as he watched. Butterfree told him that it would be ok before Ash gave a nod of approval. "Alright, knock them out with Sleep Powder!"

"Double it, Enzi!" Michelle said and the two Butterfrees shifted their wings and made the group fall asleep. One by one the beedrills started to fall to the ground in sleep. After the whole ordeal, Samurai then showed them out of the forest.

"This path will lead you to Pewter City," He explains to them as he points down the road towards the town in the distance.

"Finally," Michelle said and chuckled. "I love the forest as much as the next one, but I'm getting tired of this one."

Misty nodded in agreement as well as Akiko.

"Let's not waste any more time, we need to stock up on supplies, and our pokemon need treatment," Selene said as she showed the nearly empty bags that she held.

"Not only that, but Ash needs to train for his first gym battle," Michelle said and Ash gave a nod. She then blinked and quickly turned to Selene. "By the way, did you send that report to Professor Oak about the beedrill? I don't want anybody else to run into the same problem we went through."

Selene shook her head, "No, not yet, I was going to do that when we came to the city."

Michelle nodded,"It makes sense, better reception anyway."

Samurai then smiled before nodding. "I wish you luck on your journey and maybe we will battle again. Until then farewell," He said before heading off into the forest again.

"Make sure you don't point your sword at people's faces again!" Misty called out to him, but she only got a chuckle and a wave in return.

"Goodbye!" Selene said to Samurai as the group began to head towards Pewter City.


	12. Pewter City Challenge

"Hey! Pewter City!" Misty calls out as she walked up to Ash who was standing overtop a stone as he looked out over the cliff and onto the city below.

"At least we are out of that forest and not stuck in there for the rest of our lives," Ash said as he went and sat down on the boulder he was on. Pikachu nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to stand another one of Misty's 'bug attacks'. Nero grumbled to Selene in his pokespeach. Selene, Michelle, Akiko and Pikachu laughed out loud. Luke, Charlotte, and Nero joined in. Misty and Ash turned to look at the laughing group with raised brows.

"What's so funny?" Ash asked as he looked at them.

"Yeah, what's so funny?" Misty asked as well.

"Oh, it's nothing it's just Charlotte tickling us all," Selene fibbed before Charlotte quickly made her way over and started to tickle both Ash and Misty to make her sister's story more believable.

Out of nowhere, a manly voice came from below Ash. "Pewter City is gray, the color of stone. This town has always been famous for its stone."

Ash blinked before looking down to see a man below him surrounded by rocks. "Who's this guy?" He asked Misty.

"I've never met him," Misty replied as she looked over the edge as well.

"The name is Flint, and you are sitting on some of my merchandise young man," Flint replied.

"Really? Your name is Flint, and you're selling rocks outside a town known for its rocks? How cliche can you get?" said Michelle as she went and sat on the edge of the cliff as she looked at the man in the red hat.

"Uh..sorry," Ash said in a confused tone. He soon made his way off the rock and stood beside Misty. "You seriously sell rocks?" He asked with a raised brow.

"They're Pewter City souvenirs," Flint said as Ash, Misty, and Pikachu came down the red stairway that was right beside Flint. Some of the rocks he was selling were spread over it. "Wanna buy some?"

"Uh...no thank you," Michelle said as the rest of the group made their way down to the same level as Flint.

"I'm traveling at the moment and I have no need of a rock," Ash said as Pikachu nodded and went to stand on Ash's shoulder. "I'm on my way to becoming a pokemon master."

Pikachu gave a sigh as he watched the two people interact. Flint noticed this and said, "Well your pokemon looks exhausted."

"With how many beedrill swarms in that forest, I don't blame him," Michelle said from behind Ash.

"Yeah, we are glad to finally make it out of that forest," Selene piped up as the rest nodded their heads.

"We were just about to head to the nearest Pokemon Center to recuperate," Ashe said with a nod as he petted Pikachu's head.

"I can show you where it is then," Flint said as he stood up and motioned them to follow him. "Follow me." He then headed in a direction.

Selene smiled happily, "Thank you, Flint," She said before following the man.

"I guess looks can be deceiving, he seems like a nice guy," Ash said to Misty as he followed his cousin.

"Are you sure?" Misty asked unsure of whether to trust Flint or not.

Flint then stopped before looking at the group now behind him. "Oh, by the way, that would be a two dollar charge for resting on my rocks."

Michelle gave him a look before rolling her eyes,"Seriously?"

Selene just grumbled before rummaging through her bag and giving him four dollars to pay their charge. "Here." She muttered a bit before Flint grinned at the cash before putting it away.

Soon they reached the Pokemon Center and Ash handed over his Pokemon to Nurse Joy. "Please take care of my pokemon," He asked her.

"I'll hand me in as well," Michelle said as she gave Nurse Joy Akiko and two pokeballs.

"As well as me!" Selene said as she handed over her two pokeballs.

Nurse Joy smiled and nodded,"They'll be healed up in no time," She said chipperly. "You can relax over there until your pokemon have healed." She said as she pointed out the spot underneath the Pokemon League poster.

"This is going to be awesome," Ash said with a smile as he walked up to the Poster and looked at it thoroughly.

"You can't enter until you have eight badges from different gyms Ash," Misty started before going into a condescending tone. "Do you think you can do that Ash?"

"I believe I can," Ash said as he folded his arms.

"We believe in you as well little cousin," Michelle said as she sat near him.

Selene nodded,"Michelle is right, if you can put your mind to it, you can do anything."

The trio that corresponded with Luke, Nero, and Charlotte nodded in agreement.

From behind the group, Flint started to laugh, in a sort of creepy way. "Don't tell me you plan on challenging Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader."

"Of course I am! After some training!" Ash said as he looked up at Flint. "As soon as my pokemon are healed, we are going to work to make sure that we'll obtain our first badge!"

Flint started to laugh once more. "'You won't beat him," He said before walking away.

"What a condescending man…" Michelle said with a shake of her head. "What do you think Luke?" She asked.

Luke then used his Aura Speech: I have to agree with you on that, he does look suspicious.

"Yes, he does, especially with the hat that is shadowing his eyes," Selene said as she sat nearby.

Charlotte's stomach then started to gurgle really loud. "Can we get something to eat? I'm hungry!"

"Can't blame her, we've been in the woods for how many days?" Michelle asked.

"I can't remember but we only had berries to eat for the most part, so I say let's go get something to eat. I heard they had a good buffet." Selene said as she motioned her friends to a part of the Pokemon Center that gave out food.

It wasn't long before the group snagged a rather large booth and some food. While they were talking Ash's cousins taught him how to eat politely in public. Even though Ash thought it was embarrassing, he didn't protest but made a point to continue the new found way of eating. Even though he didn't remember how the girls taught him many things, he got the feeling of deja vu. He wasn't sure how to put his finger on it, but he felt something familiar about the situation.

The conversation then turned back to Flint as Ash started to angrily talk about him, while still eating politely. "Ohh that Flint! Trying to make a fool out of me!"

"Do you really think you can win?" Misty asked as she was sitting across from him, eating some spaghetti. "Gym leaders are different than regular trainers. They are much stronger. I tell you what, if you ask nicely I'll help you out."

"Thank you, but no. I should be the one to figure it out, so I don't get accused of cheating," Ash said as he put his soup bowl down.

Misty nodded,"Alright, though if you need help. Me and your cousins can help."

It was getting late and Michelle piped up, "Well it's getting late, and I think we should check on our pokemon. "

Selene nodded,"yeah, let's go~"

"Here you are~ All your pokemon are healed~," Nurse Joy said as they gave Ash, Michelle, and Selene their pokemon back.

"Thank you~," Selene said as the trio turned to the group and smiled. "Shall we practice?"

Ash nodded,"Yeah," He said. "Let's head outside to the training field," The group nodded before heading out a door to their side.

When they got onto the field, Michelle turned to Ash and asked, "So who are you going to use to battle against Brock?"

"I was thinking of using Pikachu and Butterfree," Ash said as he looked at his partner and the pokeball in his hand. Pikachu felt pride when Ash said that he would choose him in the first gym battle.

"Really? You're picking Butterfree? You're putting a bug type against a rock type? Butterfree will get crushed!" Misty tried to explain to him as she came to his side.

"Don't underestimate Butterfree, and you gotta love that support Misty, gotta love it," Michelle said to her with a roll of her eyes.

"Michelle's got a point, Type advantage isn't everything, you just gotta think out of the box,"Selene said with a nod.

"It tends to be the best idea, plans never work, well that's from my experience," Michelle said with a nod.

"We just got to teach Butterfree and Pikachu steel type moves," Selene said with a smile.

"Steel type?" Ash asked.

Michelle facepalmed,"Oh yeah, Kanto doesn't know about Steel types yet. They are more popular in Johto at the moment."

"Yes, Steel-types are from Johto, so that will give you an edge when it comes to Rock types because Rock is weak against Steel. Brock would not see it coming." Selene explained before she remembered something and facepalmed. "I forgot that Butterfree can't learn steel type moves but with a TM or Technical Machine he can learn Rain Dance."

Misty then raised an eyebrow before putting her hand on her hip. "So how are you going to get the Technical Machine? They are expensive and rare."

"Selene is an inventor, she makes them all the time!" Michelle pointed out.

Selene nodded, "Yes I do, and conveniently, I have Rain Dance on me." She then took off her bag before rummaging through it and taking out the Technical Machine. "Here we are~"

Ash then beamed,"That's great! Butterfree come on out!" He called before clicking the center of the ball and letting his bug pokemon out. He then turned to him and said, "Butterfree I need you in the upcoming gym battle and you think you can help me out by learning Rain Dance?"

Butterfree smiled and flapped his wings happily before looking to Selene as she taught Butterfree Rain Dance. When she was done, Ash smiled and looked at him. "Would you like to try out your new move?" He asked.

Before Butterfree can start the move, The trio, Selene, Michelle, and Misty all headed under some shade. The bug then started to dance and rain clouds appeared and started to rain around them. "You're doing great Butterfree!" Ash said happily. Though as he saw his Butterfree beginning to fall, he quickly ran over and caught him before he hit the ground, noticing his wings were wet.

"Don't worry, he just needs to dry off his should use this with Pikachu's Thunderbolt, then it could do some real damage," Selene said as she clapped her hands.

Michelle nodded, "Especially when the rocks are wet,"

"Butterfree did a good job, I think he can rest, and we can start teaching Pikachu how to use Iron Tail," Selene said with a nod as they came out to stand beside Ash. The rain was slowly stopping as Ash thanked his bug before putting him back into his ball to rest.

"Alright, so how does Pikachu learn Iron Tail?" Ash asked as Pikachu piped in with a nod.

"Pretty much he hits his tail against a rock repeatedly. This helps build muscle in his tail if I remember correctly," Michelle said.

Selene inwardly chuckled for she knew how Michelle learned the move, and so did she. They both were taught when they were younger.

"Alright, Pikachu, you heard her. Time to hit some boulders." Ash said with a nod and found one nearby. "Use that one." Pikachu nodded and went to work on Iron Tail. As Ash worked on training with Pikachu, Misty went to watch him from the sidelines as Selene and Michelle work on training their own pokemon.

"Let's get our pokemon out so we can train as well," Selene said to Michelle as she let Clancy and Devi out of their pokeballs.

Michelle nodded as she let out Enzi and Xylon. "Enzi you are going to learn Toxic, while Xylon will be learning how to do Whirlwind." She then gently took Akiko off her head and placed her on the ground. "Akiko I want you to learn how to do Tail Whip, all you have to do is to constantly move your tail back and forth at a fast speed. " Akiko blinked before smiling and nodded before she started to move her tail to a rhythm. Enzi and Xylon moved more into the battlefield and started to train themselves.

Selene was by Michelle as she looked at Clancy and Devi. "Clancy you are going to learn how to do Pursuit, and Devi I want you to learn Bug Bite. Both of you train on those rocks over there," She said as she pointed to the distant boulders. They both nodded before making their way over to them.

It was at least two hours before Luke went over to Michelle and motioned for her to follow him so that they can train. Selene made sure that everyone was distracted as the two went towards the trees and out of sight. It wouldn't be until nightfall did Selene and the others saw the two again. Selene smiled as she headed over to Ash, her pokemon now back in their pokeballs to relax and recuperate. "Well it's about time to hit the hay, we'll go to the gym tomorrow. I believe you, Pikachu, and Butterfree will do fine tomorrow."

"Yeah, just remember not to get cocky," Michelle said as she and Luke appeared from the tree's edge as she picked up her pokemon along the way. Luke nodded in agreement.

"Alright," He said before Pikachu climbed onto his shoulder once more before he put Butterfree away.

"You might actually win this," Misty said as she put her hand on her hip.

"Geez thanks, Misty," Ash said a bit flatly.

"Come on, no more time to waist, you want to be all rested up for your match tomorrow," Selene said as she pushed her towards their room. Michelle, Luke, and Misty followed behind her. Nero bent down to pick up the already slumbering Lottie and quickly followed behind.

After a hearty breakfast, the group had set off towards the Pewter City Gym. It didn't take them long to find it. It was a giant building made of stone with iron beams that made a point at the top.

"Wow, you can definitely tell this is a rock gym," Michelle said.

Selene nodded,"Yeah, Ash are you ready?" She asked as she turned to look at him.

Ash nodded,"Yeah, I'm ready." He said as he made a fist and his eyes glowed with determination.

"Well then, let's get going," Misty said as she started going into the gym. Everyone else followed behind her.

Selene blinked as she tried to move without bumping into anyone. "Why is it so dark in here?" Michelle asked as she held her arms in front of her so that she wouldn't bump into anyone.

"I don't know, maybe it's for effect?" Selene said sarcastically before a light turned on and upon a guy near them. He was sitting down with his legs crossed and his eyes were seemingly shut.

"Welcome to the Pewter City Gym, I am Brock Harrison, the gym leader. Who are you," He asked in a booming voice.

"I am Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, I challenge you to a pokemon battle," Ash said with a grin.

"Is this is your first official gym battle?" Brock asked.

"Yes actually, it is," Ash responded.

"A gym battle is different than others, this badge is for Pokemon League authorization. There are special rules," Brock explained.

"Can you explain them to me?" Ash asked.

"We will use two pokemon each, understood?" He asked.

"Yeah," Ash said.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Brock said before snapping his fingers.

Michelle looked annoyed," Wow, he could have been a bit more enthusiastic about battling," She said to Selene who nodded. It wasn't long before the floor started to vibrate. "What the heck?" She asked before quickly getting out of the way of the appearing battlefield. Lights soon came on above them and revealed the appearing gym in the light. Everyone tried to get out of the way before the floor connected into a field.

"OI! What's the big deal! You trying to kill us?" Michelle yelled from the sidelines. Brock ignored her for the time being before looking at Ash once more.

"It's time to start, I choose Geodude," Brock said and let out his rock pokemon.

Ash nodded and was about to use Pidgeotto but decided to use Butterfree instead.

"Since you are the challenger, you may go first," Brock said as he folded his arms.

"Alright, Butterfree use Gust, surround the Geodude in the sand!" Ash ordered as Butterfree started to fly around the rock pokemon and trapped it in the wind tunnel. Ash knew that flying moves won't have any effect but he made the sand wall to trap it so that he could have a direct target. Brock watched in intrigue.

"Bad move, Flying types are in ineffective to rock types," He said as he gave a small smirk.

"Who says that I'm using it to attack you," Ash said with a grin. "Alright, Butterfree, use Confusion!" He ordered.

Butterfree was going to use the attack when Brock called out his order. "Not so fast! Geodude! Use Rock Throw!" He said. Geodude nodded and started to pick up rocks and began throwing at the bug type.

"Butterfree dodge!" Ash called out as Butterfree began to fly in a pattern so that he can dodge the oncoming assault. Though the last rock hit his wing just enough to bring him down some. Ash winced a bit but smiled. "Good job Butterfree! Now use Confusion, again!"

The battle continued on as the small gang in the bleachers were rooting for him. 'Go Ash! Go Pikachu!" The cheering brought out a large group of young children that looked a lot like Brock.

"Wow they are multiplying," Michelle commented as she looked around before focusing on the battle once more. Selene couldn't help but try to suppress a chuckle.

Both pokemon were getting tired as Butterfree was barely staying in the air. The Geodude was panting as he took some damage from being confused. He had been hurting himself as he tried to hit Butterfree. Ash smiled as he was having fun while Brock was clenching his hand. "Alright, Geodude! Snap out of it! Use Rollout!"

"Butterfree dodge and use Gust to push him in another direction!" Ash ordered before Butterfree uses a large blast of wind to try and deflect the move. It wasn't working as much but it did have enough force to push it a bit away and made the rock type's path towards a rock nearby. He couldn't stop himself and rolled hard into it, knocking himself out. Brock blinked as he brought his Geodude back into its pokeball. The young ones in the stand were also gasping.

The young judge was also shocked as he proclaimed, "Geodude is unable to battle, Butterfree is the winner!"

Loud cheers came from a single person as Michelle was standing up and pumping her fist in excitement. She got strange looks from the younger ones around her. Luke and Selene were just shaking their head but they both had amused smiles on their faces.

Brock blinked some more as he heard the loud cheering before turning to what he was supposed to be doing. "Well played, now let's see if you can defeat this heavy hitter! Onix come on out!"

Ash nodded before looking to Butterfree. "Are you ok Butterfree?" He asked before the bug pokemon weakly nods. It was clear that it was tired but Ash was proud of him for winning. "We only have one more pokemon to go, I know you can do it." Butterfree smiled and got some perk back.

"Onix use Rock Throw!" Onix followed his command and started to throw rocks at the bug. Caterpie was loosely dodging them for Onix made the rocks go fast.

"Butterfree use Rain Dance!" The bug nodded and tiredly flew up into the sky and started to conjure up some rain.

"Bind!" Was all Brock said as Onix quickly wrapped his boulder-like body around the bug and constricts until the Butterfree is knocked out. Onix slowly unravels himself to show the bug who was now laying on the wet ground.

"Butterfree is unable to battle! Onix is the winner!" After the young judge proclaimed Brock's win, the stand grew loud from all the happy cheers of the young kids who came to watch their brother.

Ash smiled as he brought his Butterfree back into his ball and began talking to it. "You did great, you set up the next on assault and our future win. Thank you," He said before putting the ball away and turning to look at Pikachu who was standing next to him. "Are you ready Pikachu? You're up next." Pikachu gave a nod and bounded out.

"You bring out a Pikachu? Electric types are weak against rock types," Brock said as he folded his arm once more.

"Don't underestimate electric types, especially since you underestimated a bug type. The bug who defeated your rock, " Selene said from the stands. Selene had brought out an umbrella from her bag as it rained. Misty huddled underneath it as well as she was close to the Ampharos girl.

"Yeah, having a type advantage isn't always everything. You should never underestimate someone without knowing them, this includes Pokemon." Michelle said after her cousin. Luke was holding Michelle's umbrella. He had insisted on holding it for her as Nero kept Lottie close to his body so that she wouldn't get wet. He was tall enough to be her umbrella and he didn't mind the rain anyway.

Ash nodded, "Yeah, we're not down and out yet," He said before putting his hat backwards. He was ready for the main event.

Brock then grins. "Alright, I admire your determination, let's finish this and see who is the winner." He then looked at Onix. "Use Bind!"

"Pikachu dodge!" Ash ordered but Pikachu wasn't fast enough and he was starting to get compressed by giant rocks. Even though the rain was continuing to pour down, the weakened Onix still had enough strength to battle. Ash quickly thought a way out of the situation. He remembered how rock is weak to water, and how water is conductive with electricity so he based his next move on this notion. "Pikachu use Thunder Bolt!" With that electricity came from the small mouse pokemon and started to zap the rock snake.

Even if rock was stronger against electricity, with the help of the water it made it more effective. Brock frowned slightly as he saw the rock snake in pain. "Onix bind harder!" Onix tried to constrict Pikachu more but the electricity was getting to it.

"Thunderbolt one more time Pikachu!" Ash called as he watched the battle go on. Pikachu had let out another onslaught of lightning when Onix finally had enough and fell to the ground and released Pikachu. "Alright, one more attack Pikachu and we will win our first badge." Pikachu pants as he turned to give a smile to Ash in acknowledgment. "Pikachu use Iron ta-"

Ash was in the middle of his last command when the siblings of Brock began to pile around Ash and pull him down some. "What the?" He said in confusion.

"You leave Onix alone!" Said the small boy who was holding him from around the neck. "My big brother worked hard on raising it you big bully!"

Michelle blinked as she was still in the bleachers. She had looked around before looking down at the small kids. "When the heck did they get down there?" She asked Selene who only shrugged.

"I wasn't paying attention," Selene said with a sheepish smile.

"Believe me, kid, I'm no bully," Ash said as he looked at the kids.

"True he was more of the victim than the bully!" Michelle called down to them. Selene just shook her head.

"Stop it! Get off! All of you! This is an official match and we are going to finish it no matter what," Brock said as he watched his little siblings hanging off his challenger.

"But Brock!" Whined the small girl who was hanging off Ash's left shoulder."But we know that you love your pokemon so much!"

Then the small boy on his right shoulder piped up and whined, "That's why we can't watch Onix suffer from another attack!"

"Onix will be just fine, all he needs is a trip to the pokemon center after this. You don't need to worry about his health. Now get down off of him," Brock said sternly. After their brother told them to get down, the finally let Ash go and went back to their seats."Sorry about that Ash, they get REALLY into the whole battle thing. Every battle I have, they get so worried. Now we may continue,"

Ash nodded,"Alright, it's fine. They just love pokemon and I'm sure that they'll be great trainers one day." He then looked at Pikachu. "Are you ready?" He asked before the small mouse pokemon nodded with a grin. He then looked back up to the gym leader. "We are ready."

"Alright, Onix use Rock Throw one last time!" He commanded. Onix weakly opens his eyes and slammed his tail on the ground that created rocks before hitting them towards the electric mouse.

"Use the rocks to speed up your attack and use Iron Tail!" Ash said with a beam. Pikachu leaped onto the first rock before bounding from one to the other until he was above the rock snake. He let out a small battle cry before his tail began to glow and turned into metal as he spun himself downwards. The attack landed dead set between the eyes and it knocked the snake down to the ground. Knocking it out instantly. Brock watched in amazement with his jaw dropped. He never saw that attack before and was truly amazed to see an electric type beat a rock type.

"Onix is unable to battle, Pikachu is the winner. The winner is the challenger: Ash Ketchum!" proclaimed the shocked judge.

Pikachu grinned and started to bounce around happily before running to his trainer and leaping into his open arms. "Pikachu! We did it! We won!" In the stands, Selene, Michelle, and Lottie were all yelling while Nero and Luke were high-fiving.

"You did great Onix, have a good rest," Brock said as he returned his knocked-out pokemon to its ball before heading over to Ash with his badge. "Here Ash, the Pewter City Gym Badge, it's yours. You earned it."

"Thanks, Brock," He said as he gently took the badge and pinned it to the inside of his vest.

Soon the small group came down to join the winner. Selene was walking up to Ash when Brock spotted her and quickly went to her side and grabbed her hand. "Hello, my name is Brock will you give me the honor of dating you? I am sure to make you happy." Selene blinked in awkwardness as she tried to pull her hand away. Lottie beside her had stars in her eyes.

"Please! My sister will be happy to date you! She needs a strong man like you!" Lottie said before she was picked by the back of her shirt.

"How many times have I told you to stop doing that! I don't want to date anyone right now!" Selene said before putting her down again. Brock was going to start insisting when Nero loomed over the two girls and started to growl. That was when Brock got the hint and backed off. When he was far away enough, he heard Michelle laugh and turned to see her. He quickly bounded over to her side and grabbed her hand instead

"You have a beautiful laugh! I can continue to make you smile, please go on a date with me!" Brock started up again. That shocked Michelle for she was never flirted with, though she pulled her hand and that's when he heard an even angrier growl

"Don't even think about it pretty boy," Luke snarled in pokespeach. Brock didn't know what Luke was saying, but Michelle and Akiko burst out laughing again. Brock stepped back a bit and raised his hands in a defensive way.

"Ok, ok, I get it." He said.

"Brock, I don't like it when you flirt with my cousins, though I'm sure that you figured that out yourself," Ash said as he folded his arms.

"Cousins?" He asked him as he looked at the two girls once more. They didn't have the same features as him but they were still related, in an extended way.

"Yes, I'm Selene Tesla, and this little pain in the neck is my sister, Charlotte but we call her Lottie," Selene said as she pointed to her sister.

"I'm not a pain in the neck! You just haven't realized he's the right one for you!" Charlotte complained as she folded her arms.

"She's three years older than him," Michelle said.

"I'm sorry for my sister, she just doesn't get it, but you already the powerhouse behind me. This is Nero, he is a Haxorus, a dragon type from a different region." Selene explained.

Brock nodded,"Yes I can see that…" He said nervously.

"My name is Michelle Ketchum," Michelle then introduced herself. "The little Pichu on my head is Akiko," Akiko smiled and waved Brock smiled and waved back before looking at the other strange pokemon beside her that strangely had the same colored eyes as Michelle. "This is my 'big brother' Luke, he is a Lucario that is usually found in the Sinnoh Region."

"Ah so you guys aren't from around here," Brock said to confirm his thoughts.

"Yeah, we came from a different region. We are here to help Ash on his journey and to help Professor Oak as Field Researchers."

"I see, that's nice to know. Though if you don't mind, I would like to know how he learned that one move. Iron Tail was it? I never heard of that move before, how did you do it?" Ash asked as he turned to him.

Ash then chuckled,"Oh yeah, that move is from a different region, but I was told about it by my cousins after I saw Michelle use it against a beedrill."

"Use it? How does a human use a move?" He asked.

"It's based on the attack and that my father owns a dojo, I just use it for self-defense," Michelle explained.

"I see," Brock said in thought.

"We should probably get your pokemon to the pokemon center to heal up," Michelle said before looking around. 'Wait a second, where's Misty?"

Misty was then seen coming from another direction. She had gone to use the restroom for she knew the whole reputation of Brock and didn't want to deal with the shenanigans. She smiled as she came up to them. "It's nice to see you again Brock, it's been a long time."

"Ah, you're friends with him? Did he flirt with you as well?" Michelle asked with a raised brow and a small smirk. Her smirk showed the peaks of her fangs.

Misty blinked and quickly stuttered as she was turning red. "N..no, but I don't want him to," Misty quickly said as she looked away. It was only then when Michelle spotted Brock being completely red. It confirmed her suspicion of the two but she kept it quiet for now.

"So Misty what are you doing here In Pewter City?" Brock asked once he regained his composure.

"Well I was going on a journey when Ash here electrocuted my bike-" Misty was saying before she was interrupted by Michelle.

"For the HUNDREDTH Time, we PAID for it!" Michelle said as she placed her hand on her hip.

"I know but as I was saying after my bike got destroyed I decided to follow Ash and the gang here and here we are." She said as she finished.

"Your sisters again?" Brock asked her. Misty nodded.

"Well, since that is all cleared up, how about we all go and get our pokemon healed up," Selene said and they nodded before heading towards the Pokemon Center. Once they were inside, Brock made a beeline towards Nurse Joy and started to do his spiel AGAIN. Misty was grumbling before heading over and pulled his ear until they were out of sight. As they were passing by, Michelle quickly took his pokeballs before the left. She wanted to make sure that they get healed.

It didn't take them long before their pokemon were all healed and were about to head out. Selene had found it strange that they hadn't seen Flint for a long time. "I wonder where Flint had gone," Selene said in thought.

"Flint? You've seen my father?" Brock asked in surprise. "He hadn't been home in years. I've been taking care of my siblings all that time. He went and left us to go on a journey and he never came back,"

"And you're mother?" Michelle asked.

"She's been in and out of the hospital the whole time. She should be better soon," Brock said. "I've always wanted to be the best breeder in the world, but I can't do that because I have to be here. For the gym and for my siblings."

"Brock," Flint said from behind them.

Brock turned around and muttered, "Dad."

"Dad?" Ash said in disbelief.

"Yes, that's me. I went on a journey but I couldn't become the great pokemon trainer that I wanted to, and because I was such a failure I was too embarrassed and ashamed to come back to my family."

"But why did you come back now?" Ash asked.

"I've been here long but I was still too ashamed to show my face, so I watched from afar and helped when I could. I want you to fulfill your dream because I couldn't do mine. I want to carry the burden that you felt when I was away. I can take care of the gym and our family." Flint said as his way of apologizing.

"First there are a few things I need to tell you," He said.

"I can understand why you would have such a list, but I want you to know that you can tell me everything you had on your mind," Flint said.

"Here-"Brock said as he gave him needle and thread. "You need this because Susie always rips her dresses. So you better learn how to sew, and Timmy only eats cold spaghetti for breakfast and Tommy likes corn flakes for dinner-"

"Slow down! Slow down! I can't write that fast!" Flint said as he took out a notebook and began to write down what he needed to know.

"Cindy sleep walks so you have to tie a bell around her wrist. The twins never want to take a bath so you have to-" Brock said as he continued down the list and it went for a few minutes more.

When it was all done the group was starting to head back out into the world and towards the next gym. Brock asked Ash a question. 'Are you sure your ok with me tagging along with you guys?"

"Yeah, sure the more the merrier!" Ash said with a smile.

Misty nodded and smiled. "It would be fun to have you around."

Michelle laughed before nodding, "Yes this would be entertaining," She said before giving Selene a knowing wink. Selene just nodded and laughed. Nero and Luke were following behind with Lottie on Nero's back.


	13. Into the Cave!

As they were walking down the road, the group suddenly heard a loud shrill cry of help. "What the heck was that?" Michelle asked before looking around.

"It's coming from over there!" Selene said before motioning them to follow as she headed towards the person in need.

In the distance was a man that was surrounded by Zubats. "Over there, the poor guy is getting attacked by zubats," Selene said as she raced over and tried to shoo away the bat Pokemon. As Ash and the others came running down to help, his Pokedex started up and explained to Ash about Zubats.

"Seriously, did you mess with that thing Selene? It goes off on its own," Michelle said as they ran.

"I might have done some things but that's not a talk, for now, we need to help this guy," Selene answered as they came to the guy's side.

The zubats didn't go away until Ash and Michelle asked their Pokemon to use thundershock. Selene gave a nod of thanks before heading to the man and lending a hand. Ash had gone up behind the two and asked, "Are you ok?" He asked.

"Wow! You guys are the greatest!" The man said as he got up and quickly hugged Ash, to the point of suffocation."Thank you! You so much!"

"Ok, you can take your hands off my cousin," Michelle said as she pulled him out of the man's grasp.

"They say Pokemon is a person's best friend and I can see that in the four of you," The guy said as he motioned to Michelle and Akiko and Ash and Pikachu.

"Uh...thanks," Michelle and Ash said in unison.

The guy then begins to rant about the friendship between Pokemon and their trainers. Michelle raised a brow before leaning towards Selene and muttering, "I can understand friendship with Pokemon, seeing our situation but this is getting ridiculous."

Selene nodded,"Yeah,"

Charlotte then piped up as she walked over to the girls. "Yeah, he's a nerd." She said as she looked at the man in a weird way before sticking her tongue out.

"Charlotte!" Selene scolded,"you shouldn't talk to someone like that."

When Selene was talking to her sister, Michelle spotted something moving in her fluffy white hair. A peak of blue came out before she could see that a Zubat had plucked himself into her hair. "Uh….Selene. "

Selene then stood up a bit and looked at her. "Yeah?" She asked.

"Um, you have a passenger on your head," Michelle said as she pointed to her hair.

Selene blinked a bit before reaching up and gently grasping the Zubat until it was nestled in her palms. "Oh, ain't you cute~" Selene cooed as the zubat gave her a very derpy yet happy smile.

Luke then came walking behind the girls and asked in English through a whisper. "A Zubat?"

"Yes, one that doesn't mind the sun," Selene said happily. "I see you like my hair. Would you like to come with me, little one?" She asked the bat. The bat gave a happy nod. "Alright, it's settled then. You shall come with us,' Selene then took out an empty ball and tapped it on his head. When he was beamed into the ball, she let him out again and hugged him. "Your name shall be Dracule." Dracule then gave a happy cry before pulling himself out of her grasp and into her hair once more.

"What is it with young Pokemon and being on top of our heads," Michelle stated with a chuckle. "It's like this at home."

"I personally think it's cute," Selene said with a chuckle.

"I never said It wasn't," Michelle said before Luke nudged them both to show that the guy had finished his spiel.

The guy with the white lab coat went up to Ash and held his hands as he asked. "Have I mentioned how grateful I am,"

Michelle then went over and grabbed his arm again. "Yes. Repeatedly." She said before pulling him off again.

"Yeah, anyway, why were the Zubats attacking you anyway?" Ash asked.

"I'm sorry that I haven't introduced myself, my name is Seymour, Seymour the Scientist," He said proudly.

In the background, Michelle, Luke, and Selene were cracking up. Charlotte just blinked in disbelief. Nero just shook his head.

"What a nerd," Charlotte said once more as she went and hopped onto Nero's back.

Selene just shook her head,"Lottie!" She said before looking back at Seymour. "I'm sorry Seymour, this little runt is Charlotte, and I am her sister Selene." She said as she introduced herself. Nero grunts as he walked up to her with Lottie on his back. "And this is Nero-"

Seymour's eyes lit up as he looked at the mysterious and unique creature, Nero. "What is this Pokemon?" He asked as he started to walk around it. Nero snorted and pushed Seymour away, getting quite annoyed at his antics.

"He's a Haxorus, and he doesn't like to be stared at like a specimen," Selene responded to him and Seymour straighten up as he nodded an apology.

"My name is Michelle, and this is Akiko," She said as she pointed to the little Pichu who was waving at him from her head."Pichus are from Johto, and she chose me," She said and Luke waved slightly. "This is Luke, my brother. He's a Lucario, a type of Pokemon from Sinnoh,"

Seymour blinked at her 'brother comment'. " What do you mean brother?"

Selene quickly interjects, " She means that Luke is like a brother to her-"

"Mother hen and all!" Michelle piped up quickly as Luke shot her a look. "Don't give me that look, you know you are."

Selene quickly continues, "She has known him since they were little."

Seymour gave a nod, "I I understand, the bond between you and your Pokemon is strong! I'm so glad I got to see such a loving relationship!" He cooed.

Selene, Michelle, Akiko and Luke just gave him a look.

"I'm their cousin Ash, and this is my partner Pikachu,"Ash said happily as Pikachu gave a hearty Pika.

Misty and Brock soon introduced themselves after Ash before Charlotte piped up, "So what's wrong with the cave again?"

"Here, let me show you," Seymour said as he motioned them to follow him into the bright lighted cave. "See the cave is all light up inside. Somebody strung these lights through the whole cave, but the Pokemon in this cave need the dark. These lights are upsetting them and making them confused." He said quite sadly as he led them through the cave.

"Which is why the Zubat left the cave and attacked you," Brock said.

"When I find who did this, I'm not holding back," Michelle grumbled

"Yeah!" Ash said as he clenched his hands.

Nearby in a small part of the cave, a bunch of Paras's were planting their mushrooms into the ground, while a couple of Sandshrew were laying on the ground. "Look here these Paras are planting their mushrooms everywhere and the hot lights are drying up these sandshrew," Seymour said and stopped when Ash took off his backpack, soon he had a small bowl. Slowly he took out a water bottle and poured it into the bowl and beckoned the sandshrew.

Sandshrew blinked and slowly got up before waddling close to the bowl before slowly drinking the water. Ash smiled as he saw the poor Pokemon drink to its heart content. When the Pokemon was full he gave out a happy cry. Brock and Misty watched from behind, they were touched at how quick he responded to the action. Selene and Michelle smiled at the whole thing, their cousin was starting to act like his usual self, well at least before the accident.

Seymour's eyes were shining and he was bending down to watch the whole thing. "What an amazing bond! You showed the Sandshrew your feelings and it reciprocated! " He said before quickly getting out a notebook and writing his findings down. Charlotte just shook her head as she stayed on top of Nero's back. Sandshrew then went over to Ash and rubbed his head against his leg.

"Sandshrew Sand! (Thanks! Can I join you!)" The little ground type Pokemon said as he waved his arms back and forth.

Selene and Michelle heard the little Pokemon's plea as Ash laughed happily. "Ash, I think this little guy wants to join you," Selene said as she gave him a nudge.

"I would love to have him on my team, what do you say? Would you join me?" Ash asked as he took out an unused Pokeball. The Sandshrew nodded as he went and tapped the button before the red beam engulfed him and took him inside. The ball wiggled three times before a click was heard. Ash had caught a Sandshrew.

"Congrats cousin," Selene said happily.

"Brilliant! What a beautiful connection! All this data I'm collecting! Thank you!" Seymour said as he grabbed Ash's hands and started to shake them wildly before pulling away. "This is all why I am here. To patrol the mountain from the troublemakers that attack these caves and to gather information on how they interact with each other and humans alike."

"Do you at least have a Pokemon to help protect these caves?" Michelle asked as they started to follow the scientist down the litted caves more.

"No, why do you ask?" Seymour asked.

"To help protect the caves," The whole group said in unison as they all facepalmed.

He stopped for a second and put his finger to his chin in thought. "Say, that does sound like a good idea!" He said and pointed to the ceiling in proclamation. The group just groans in annoyance.

Misty blinked,"Why would anyone want to attack the cave in the first place?" She asked as she was trying to change the subject.

"I'm afraid it's because of the Moon Stone," Seymour said.

"The Moon Stone?" Ash, Brock, and Misty asked in question. Selene and the rest of the family already knew what a Moon Stone was, they even had a few in Selene's bag.

"Exactly, the Moon Stone is an awesome boulder a million years old or even older. Deep in these caves, the meteor hides, though no explorer has found the place of the legendary rock from space," He quickly picked up a rock and took out his magnifying glass. "We've studied its fragments from many an hour and discovered it increases a Pokemon's power and that is why the attackers are here." He had dropped the stone before taking out a pickaxe and a hard hat. "They've come to take the Moon Stone or so I fear."

"And?" Charlotte asked with a raised brow.

"Ever since I was a little boy, I believe that the Pokemon came from outer space," Seymour said.

"Sorry to tell you but that is not true," Michelle said with a shake of her head.

"But my dear lady, they DID come from space, and where you ask is the spacecraft that brought them to earth, in this cave, it's the Moon Stone."

Michelle just facepalmed as Selene looked at him in disbelief and a sweatdrop went down her face.

"That' sure is a unique theory," Misty said in a nervous laughter.

"Except that the Moon Stone is an evolutionary stone and that the Pokemon race was created by Mew and Arceus," Michelle muttered. "Albeit though, there are Pokemon that live in space.,"

"But don't you see, it means the Moon Stone belongs to the Pokemon! We humans must not take it from them!" Seymour said quickly. He had ignored the girl's explanation for he was bluntly infatuated with his space theory. He then quickly looked over at Ash that made him flinch. He was going to grab his hands when Michelle intervened and moved Ash away so that he fell to the ground before looking up. "But you agree with me, right Ash?" He asked.

"Uh huh, uh huh," Ash said to quickly get him off his back.

"Well I agree about the stone belonging to the Pokemon but nothing else," Michelle said bluntly. Ash gave a faint nod to his cousin in agreement.

Selene sighed and said, "Anyway….."

Out from the corner of the group's eyes, a Clefairy was bouncing along with a Moon Stone in her hand. Shortly after, a rather big Paras with different sized mushrooms on her back was scurrying after her. On the back of the Paras, was a small pink Pokemon with a stone in her hand as well.

"A Cleffa?!" Michelle said dumbfoundedness.

"A Cleffa?"Asked Seymour, Brock, Misty, and Ash in unison.

"A Cleffa is the pre-evolved form of a Clefairy, it's just really strange to see one in Kanto or in general. Like Pikachus', Clefairy and Clefable hide their pre-evolved forms from human contact. It's just in Johto, you have a better chance of seeing one." Michelle said quickly before following after the three Pokemon that just went by.

Misty smiled and gasped,"They're so cute!" She said before following after Michelle. The others following suit.

"What I want to know is why is there are a Paras following them, or in this case, carrying the Cleffa," Michelle said as she looked over her shoulder to the rest of the group.

"I guess it's just for protection," Selene said as she caught up with her cousin.

After a bit, the Clefairy and the other two Pokemon had run out of sight, though it wasn't long before they heard the Pokemon scream. The group of people came rushing over to see what was happening. From above a nearby rock, Meowth was there with a grin on his face. "'Don't be scared of Meowth," He taunts the Pokemon.

The Paras narrowed her eyes and pointed angrily at the Meowth. "Para! Para para Par! (You leave us alone!)"

Meowth just snickered,"Now why would I do that?"

"I could give you a good reason, Meowth!" Michelle said as the group finally got to the entrance of the other cave.

"You Twerps!" Meowth snarled as he showed his claws, "Why are you doing here?"

"Protecting the Pokemon here!" Ash said as he clenched his teeth.

"You big meanie!" Charlotte yelled and pointed at Meowth angrily.

Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder and headed towards the Clefairy with Akiko joining right behind him. "Pika Pika, Pi! (Don't worry, we're here to help.)"

Clefairy smiled and nodded her head in happiness.

Paras just huffed and shuffled back towards the Clefairy, keeping Cleffa on her head and out of harm's way if need be. Cleffa was just laughing and smiling, not sure what was really happening.

"So Team Rocket is causing all the trouble around here, you were the ones who hung all the lights and disturbed the ecosystem here!" Ash said with anger.

"Meowth! You are a Pokemon! You should know better!" Michelle said from beside Ash.

"We got to stop them before they make any more trouble," Brock said.

"Trouble?" Came a familiar female voice.

"Make that double!" Came James voice soon after.

"Oh, for the love of Arceus! Not Again!" Michelle groans as she facepalmed herself.

James and Jessie then finish their motto, before Seymour muttered," They really are showoffs aren't they."

Nero then grumbled," Haxorus. (You can say that again.)"

"Don't you guys get tired of saying the same things over and over again?" Ash asked.

"I agree with Ash on this one," Michelle said with a laugh.

"You're just jealous," Jessie smirked.

"Cause we won't let you join us," James finished.

"Why would we want to join a psychotic group like you," Michelle said with a shake of her head.

The small criminal group just rolled their eyes before muttering, "We don't care, we are here to get our hands on some Moonstones so we can power up our Pokemon with it." Meowth said.

"With the Moonstones in our hands, nothing can stop us!" Jessie said.

Michelle muttered in annoyance, "It only works on Fairy Types." Though only the group near Michelle could hear her.

"Pichu, Pi Pi (So their plan is a bust.)" Akiko said from near the Fairy Type.

"What do you mean, our plan is a bust? We will show you!" Meowth muttered.

Jessie and James then let out their Pokemon, before Ash and Brock brought out their Butterfree and Zubat.

"Enzi, come and help!" Michelle said before the other Butterfree went and join his friend.

"You too Dracule!" Selene said as she let out the Zubat. Dracule instantly went and sat on his master's head. "Come on Dracule! I need you to fight! You can sit on me later!" Dracule gave a shriek of happiness before joining his comrades.

Ash blinked,"When did you two get Zubats?" He asked.

"We caught them on the way into the cave," Brock said.

"For some reason, Dracule really likes the sunlight and Selene's hair," Michelle said from nearby.

"Who cares about how you got wimpy Pokemon like those! Come and fight! Koffing use Smog!" James said as the ball of toxins started to pollute the air.

"Butterfree use Whirlwind!" Ash ordered.

"Zubat Double Team!" Brock said after him.

"Enzi, Dracule! Quadruple it!" Shouted both Selene and Michelle.

The Pokemon happily agreed and the attack was powerful enough to knock the group of five back a few feet and into a wall. James winced and narrowed his eyes at them.

Misty seeing her opportunity, took Seymour, Lottie, Nero Luke, and the cave Pokemon away from the fight. "Come on, here's our chance!"

From the side, Ekans came and launched itself and bit down on Butterfree.

"Enzi! Steel Wing!" Michelle commanded before Enzi swooped down and took the snake off of his friend.

When the others were distracted, Koffing came and tackled Dracule to the ground. "Dracule!" Selene yells.

As Brock commanded his Zubat to avenge Dracule, Meowth was sneaking off when no one was looking. "Go Super Sonic!" The Zubat then let out a high pitched noise that affected not only Koffing and Ekans but hurt the ears of both Selene and Michelle. Ekans and Koffing were then confused and began to fight each other.

Seeing his chance, Ash ordered Butterfree to use Whirlwind to blow them out of the cave. Soon the two Pokemon and their trainers were blown out of the cave.

"You may have won this round, but we'll be back!" Jessie swore as they disappeared.

Ash was celebrating as Selene and Michelle looked to Brock. "Brock can you warn us when you use Super Sonic, you know we have sensitive ears," Michelle said.

Brock then quickly came and held Michelle's hand and saying in a suave way, "I'm sorry my dear, I promise I won't hurt your precious ears again!"

Michelle blinked before Akiko had come up and shocked the guy, before making her way up to her master's head. She then leaned over and whispered to Selene, "I thought he was going to stop doing that…at least to us.."

"I have a feeling that he won't," Selene answered quietly.

"Thank Arceus that Lottie wasn't here," Michelle said before shaking her head lightly.

"Yeah, she'll be all over it in a blink of an eye," Selene said.

"Aren't we forgetting something, it was only James and Jessie with their Pokemon, but not Meowth." He said.

Brock and the two girls groan in unison before darting off the way their friends went.


	14. Of Fairy's, Fables, and the Moon

The Clefairy bounded out of a small hole, into the open with the Paras behind her with the small Cleffa giggling away on top. Misty and Seymour popped their head out of the same hole and watched as they were getting away.

"Oh no!" Misty said as she watched.

Lottie quickly scrambled out of the hole to follow. 'Wait up!" She said. Nero was trying to bring her back but she was too fast. Luke just shook his head at his cousins. The Pokemon and Lottie were bounding up a step of rocks. Misty and Seymour were climbing up after her, while Nero tried to climb with his claws. Luke went from rock to rock, following the Haxorus, giving him help along the way.

From the top of the stone stairway, the scream of Lottie could be heard as well as the Pokemon.

Nero and Luke shouted in pokespeach, "(Charlotte!)"

The Clefairy fell down and hit misty on the head which resulted in her falling into the water with Seymour following. Soon Lottie was seen falling from above as well, but Nero extended his arm at the last second and caught her, pulling her into safety.

"Thanks, big brother!" She said happily as she hugged him. Nero just nuzzled her happily, just happy that she was safe. It wasn't long before the Paras and the Cleffa jumped and landed in Luke's arms as he extended them to catch them.

"Para, Par! (Thank you sir, but please put me and my friend down.)" The Paras said as she looked up at the much taller Pokemon.

Luke nodded as he put them down, "Lucario, Lu. (Just glad that you two are alright.)"

The Paras nodded before looking around for the Clefairy as the Cleffa on her head looked up at Luke with wide eyes.

From above Meowth smirked as he said, "Alright, give me those Moon Stones!" He then landed on a stone by Seymour, who happened to still have the Clefairy on his back.

Nero furrowed his brows and pushed the others away as he boasted his size. "Haxorus, Hax, Hax! (Take a hike, small fry!)"

The Meowth blinked but started to laugh, "So the big one wants to fight, Then let me have it!" He said as he extended his claws from Scratch.

Luke raised a brow and chuckled as he used Aura Speech, "Are you sure you want to do that? That's not a good idea for a normal type like you."

Meowth then started to get angry, "What do you mean for a normal type like me?! I can kick this wimp's butt!" He then darted towards Nero with his claws swiping.

Nero just laughed as he used Dragon Rage and throws Meowth to the wall.

"I told you, you shouldn't have done that. He is a dragon type after all," Luke said with a laugh after he spoke in Aura.

"Why I otta!" Meowth mutters as he started to get up. "You'll pay for this!"

"Alright Staryu, let's wash him away!" Misty interrupted as she let her Pokeball fly and out came the starfish Pokemon. "Staryu, Water Gun!" The Pokemon blinked a few time in response before sending Meowth off with a good ol' Water gun.

"Bye Meowth! Have a nice trip!" She said as she waved him off. Lottie laughed as she saw him go.

"Clefariy…(Wow…)" The Clefairy said as she watched the whole ordeal. It was during this time that Misty withdrew her star.

"Hey! Is everybody ok?" Asked Ash as he, Brock, Michelle, and Selene came running up to them with Pikachu and Akiko.

"We won't be bothered by Meowth anymore, I've sent him flying," Misty said in a somewhat proud tone.

Luke then coughs and points to Nero whose arms were crossed. His eyes were narrowed at Misty, almost like it were firing off daggers.

"Well, Nero sent him into a wall with a move that I have not seen before," Misty continued.

"Let me guess, it was Dragon Rage wasn't it?" Michelle asked as she looked over at Nero who was nodding his head.

After all that excitement, Ash's stomach growled and he blushed in embarrassment. "Hehehe," He said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I guess I'm a bit hungry."

"Then let's eat!" Said Selene happily as she looked around. "This is a good a spot as any,"

As they were relaxing after a big meal, Ash asked Brock what he was feeding his Zubat.

"It's Pokefood, it's my own secret recipe. The ingredients are specially blended for each Pokemon."

Ash contemplated before picking up a piece and handing it to his Butterfree. Michelle had let out Enzi to eat with his friend. Akiko was sitting on Michelle's head while Dracule was sitting on Selene's. "How's it taste?" Ash asked his Butterfree.

His Butterfree smiled and nodded in happiness.

"I've been developing it for years, I keep improving on the recipe. I'll make a batch for Pikachu and Akiko, "Brock explained after he finished feeding his newly caught Pokemon.

"I'll try some," Seymour said out of the blue as he went and took a piece. He then ate it whole, "That's not bad," He said.

Lottie, Selene, and Michelle just looked at Seymour weirdly. Most would think it would be because he wasn't a Pokemon, but for the ones who were part, it was strange to see a normal person try poke food and like it.

Ash then went and tried a piece. It was disgusting at first, even though he had tried it once before when he was younger

"Well at least the Pokemon like it," Brock said as Lottie had gone and picked a piece and happily ate it. Misty, Brock, and Ash just looked at her as if she had two heads.

"What?" She asked in confusion. They didn't say anything so she just shrugs and went back and sat in front of Nero.

On a rock nearby, Pikachu and Akiko were talking to the cave Pokemon. Akiko was sitting beside her brother as the Paras with the Cleffa sat next to the Clefairy. "Pikachu, Pika, Pi! (So what are you doing with the Moon Stones?)"

"Clefariy, Clef! (We're taking them back to the Giant Moon Stone.)" The Clefairy answered.

"Pichu, Pi, Pi, Chu (But why?)" Akiko asked with a tilted head.

"Par, Paras. (To help evolve Clefairy.)" The Paras said as she played with the Cleffa on her head.

"Pika, Pi? (Why are you with the Clefairy and not with your own?)" Pikachu asked the Paras politely.

"Paras, Par, Par. (I was asked by the Clefairy to take care of her.)" The cave dweller said as she pointed to the small Pokemon on her head, who was playing with her other claw.

"Clefairy, Clef (She is the only Cleffa in our group.)" The Clefairy said a bit sadly.

"Pichu Pi! (That was the same for me!)" Pichu said as she nodded her head.

The Cleffa perked her head up as she heard the Pichu. Then Paras asked for her. "Para? (Really?)" She asked.

"Pikachu, Pi. (We lost our family, and it was only the two of us. I swore to protect her.)" Pikachu said as he nodded his head.

Akiko giggled as he mentioned that. "Pichu, Pichu, Pi! (At least I didn't end up in a Pokeball for chewing on wires!)"

"Pikachu! (Akiko!)" Pikachu whined.

"Pichu, Chi, chi, chu. (I chose my girl the moment I saw you, while you were being stubborn and not accepting him!)" Akiko said as she nodded bluntly.

Paras had tilted her head. "Para? (Girl?)"

Akiko nodded, "Pi! (Over there.)" She said as she pointed to Michelle who was talking with the rest.

The Paras nodded as she recognized who they were and what they were. She was about to say something when the Cleffa spoke up. "Clef, Cleffa? (Is she nice?)"

Akiko nodded," Pichu. (Very.)"

"Paras, Par? (how about the others, are they nice?)" The Paras asked her in curiosity.

"Pikachu, Pi, Pika, Pika, Chu. (Misty can be a bit of hot head, Brock is girl crazy and I don't know Seymour that well. Though Lottie is very excitable and Selene is very generous. )"

:"Pichu, PI, Pi, chu. (Nero is Selene's and Lottie's brother, while Luke is Michelle's.)" Akiko explained after her brother.

The trio nodded in response to the facts they were given before they continued talking amongst themselves.

From down below Ash watched with Seymour at the how Pikachu and Akiko were making friends. "They make friends so easily. I wonder what they're talking about," Ash said in thought.

"Akiko is teasing Pikachu about how you became his trainer," Michelle said with a laugh.

'Huh?" Misty, Brock Seymour and Ash all looked at her funny. "How do you know/," Ash asked.

"They were saying clearly enough," Michelle responded.

"Ah, I see, you must have that really rare talent talking to Pokemon," Seymour said as he put his fist into his palm in thought.

"Actually everyone in my family can do it," Michelle said.

"So it's inherited," Seymour said as he quickly got out a notepad and started to jot down notes and theories.

"I guess…."Michelle said with a bit of an awkward look at him.

"Stop, you're only fueling his interest," Selene said and gently pushed her cousin.

"You know I can't lie to save my life!" Michelle quickly responded.

The Clefairy got up and started to bound away with all the newfound friends behind her. Michelle had spotted them and said,"We should go after them." It only took them a few minutes to gather their things and followed the cave Pokemon. After a while, the sun started to set and darkness was upon them, even then, the small fairy Pokemon continued to lead them onwards.

:"Pikachu, where in the world is she taking us?" He asked as they followed.

The small, yellow Pokemon didn't answer as they stopped at the entrance of another cave. They then went inside and all gasped as they saw the Giant Moon Stone.

"That has to be the biggest evolution stone that I had ever seen," Michelle said in awe. "And we've seen pretty big ones."

"It's the core of the Moon Stone," Seymour said as he looked at the marvel.

"So the Moon Stone Legend is true," Brock said in a whisper.

"The part about it crashing into the side of the mountain, yes." Michelle said before continuing, "Anything else after that, I highly doubt it."

It wasn't long before Ash had seen Clefairy put her Moon Stone by the others. Paras and the Cleffa were there too and was doing the same. "Look, those three are doing something with the Moon Stones." The last Moon Stones had connected the circle that surrounded the core and they all started to glow. Soon other clefairys started to come out form the darkness to surround the giant core.

"There's so many," Misty exclaimed.

"Clefairy, Cle fairy Fairy. (Thank you for helping us get here. It is very important to us.)" The Clefairy they had been following said to them.

"The Clefairy is saying thank you to us." Selene clarified to those who could not understand.

After saying her thank you, the Clefairy started a chain of dancing around the core. The Paras and the Cleffa were doing the same, as they tried to keep up. Michelle then leaned over to Luke and whispered, "This reminds me of the ones back home. When the Clefairys in our village did their coming of age festival." Luke nodded in agreement.

"These Clefairy seemed to have formed their own society, it's an incredible sight," Seymour said as he smiled.

"I don't see how that's anything of a surprise," Michelle mutters to herself. It was only then that they heard a rock scamper from behind them. "Guys….' She said to them before a trio of voices were heard.

"Told you we'd be back," Jessie said with a laugh.

"You guys got some nerve!" Ash growled as he made a fist.

Seymour pushed past the group and puffed out his chest as he said, "You keep away from the Moon Stone or else!"

"Or else?" James said mockingly.

"It seems we've been threatened," Jessie smirked.

"T….the Moon Stone b...belongs to the Clefairy!" Seymour said as his legs were shaking. "You trouble-makers will leave this cave at once," He continued though his tough-guy act was quickly fading.

"Sounds like a wimp!" Meowth laughed

"I'll show you!" Seymour said and started to run towards the trio when Selene quickly grabbed him by the collar and reeled him back.

"Seymour, let us help you, you don't even have a Pokemon!" Selene said which caused laughter in the small group.

"What a joke, come on Ekans, let's do our job!" Jessie said as she held out her ball and threw it to release her precious Pokemon.

"When have you ever done your job correctly?" Michelle sneered.

That made Jessie snarl. "Enough talk!" James said as he brought his own Koffing.

"I agree, let's go Pikachu!" Ash said and Pikachu voiced his approval as he bounded towards the battle.

"You two Dracule!" Selene said as pointed towards the battle but the Zubat ignored the command and just snuggled into her hair more. Michelle couldn't help but laugh. Selene just sighed, "Dracule! You can do that later!" Dracule then gave a small huff before finally obliging and going towards the battle.

"Enzi, you can help too!" Michelle said, "String Shot!" The bug nodded as he made strings and tied it around Koffing before swirling him around and into a nearby wall.

"Onix, come on out!" Brock said as his favorite Pokemon came out and towered the small snake. Pikachu decided to climb up the massive Pokemon and sparks flew from his patches.

"Let's show them that size doesn't matter!" Jessie said before ordering her Ekans to burrow into the ground.

"Koffing, use smokescreen!" James followed suit.

Seeing how fast the Koffing got up and used his attack made the small butterfree angry. "Don't worry about it Enzi, he probably got hit so much on the head that he hardly processes it," Michelle said to her butterfree.

Soon everything was covered in smog and everyone started to cough. Ash being determined, he started to say, "A little smoke won't stop us! Pidgeotto come help us!" He said as he threw the Pokeball into the air.

"Xylon, come help!" Michelle followed as her own Pidgey came out.

"Dracule you can help them! Use Gust" Selene said as all the flying Pokemon started to use gust to get rid of the smog. When the smog was lifted, the Moon Stone and Team Rocket were gone.

"What the heck!" Michelle said in disbelief.

"That was a smart trick they pulled, using Ekans to dig around the massive rock and used the tunnel system…." Selene muttered.

"Which is surprising for them," Michelle muttered.

"They did say they needed to do their job," Selene said to be fair.

"They always say that," Michelle complained.

"Well, they did it now," Selene said.

"So it was all a trick to distract us while they get the Moon Stone," Ash said as he looked down the hole.

"Alright, Onix! Follow them underground!' Brock said quickly and the giant rock snake obliged and burrowed after them.

"There's still a chance to catch them," Ash said as he and the group bolted out of the cave.

Seymour stayed behind and was trying to convince the Clefairy's to act. "Why aren't you chasing after the robbers who took your moonstone?" The Clefairy's looked at him in confusion before he continued. "Isn't the Moon Stone sacred to you? It's your responsibility to get it back. Do you understand?" The Clefairy nodded.

Meanwhile, Onix has tracked down Team Rocket and came out of the ground to surprise them. Screams of the trio could be heard as the Rock snake took them off course and into the ground. "There they are!" Ash said as the group came up to them.

"Nice work Onix, Get the Moon Stone!" Brock said as they were coming.

"Koffing counterattack!" He said and the two collide before Koffing plopped into the ground and made a small crater around itself while Onix fell the ground in pain. Everyone just watched in shock as Seymour popped out of Onix's hole.

"Seymour….and the Clefairys," Selene said as she tried to hide a laugh. As all the Clefairy's came out of the hole, the Paras that was holding the Cleffa came up to Selene and Michelle for safety.

"What's going on?" Meowth said as he looked around as they all gathered around Team Rocket.

"We should back up….a lot," Michelle said as she started to drag the rest of the group backward. Brock quickly returned Onix and followed them. Michelle turned her head to see that Seymour had stayed in the hole. "Seymour duck down!"

The scraggly professor quickly ducked back into the hole as the Clefairy's began their Metronome.

Jessie looked at them in confusion. 'What are they doing?" She asked.

"They're waving their fingers," James said as they began to sway to the beat.

"They're swaying this way and that way," Meowth said as they continued to sway.

"They're really are idiots," Michelle muttered.

"It's Metronome, and we don't know what the move will be…," Selene said.

"One of the reasons why we backed up in the first place," Michelle explained.

It wasn't long before the Clefairy's let out a massive Hyper Beam and sent them flying. The blast had destroyed the Moon Stone and sent its fragments raining down upon the land.

"The Moon Stone," Seymour said in slight sadness before he looked around amazed as some Clefairy started to evolve into Clefable.

"They're evolving…." Misty said in awe.

Ash took out his Pokedex and it relayed the info that Clefable were pretty rare. "The Core of the Moon Stone did this…" Seymour said in awe.

"AS we said, it's an evolution stone!" Michelle said to Seymour.

It wasn't long after that, that the Clefables and Clefairy's gathered up all the pieces and piled them before dancing around again.

Once everything was settled, Seymour turned to the group and said, "I decided to stay here with the Clefairy's and the Clefables."

That surprised the trio of Misty, Brock, and Ash. "Huh?" They said.

"It's been my life dream to find the Moon Stone and go to the stars with the Clefairy," Seymour said.

As Pikachu looked over to the dancing, the Paras and the Cleffa waddled over to the two girls.

"Paraas Par! (Can I come with you?)" The Paras asked Selene. Selene smiled happily and gently took the bug into her arms.

The Cleffa that was on her back had turned towards Michelle. "Cleffa, Cle. (Will you be my new mommy?)"

Selene then turned to look at Michelle, "Shall we add them to our growing family?" She asked with a smile.

Michelle laughed,"Do you even need to ask?" She said before gently picking up the Cleffa and holding her. It wasn't until she held her, that she remembered that she had a family. "Wait, how about her family?"

The Clefable came up to them a bit sadly, but still happy. "Clefable, Able. (She lost her family a little bit ago, and we've all been taking care of her, but if she is happy with you, then we'll let her go.)"

Michelle smiled and nodded,"I'll take care of her," She said with a beam before looking at the small baby Pokemon. "I'll call you Zeffa, it means Rose,"

"And I'll call you Alice," Selene said to her new Paras. Then both girls took out a ball and let them poke the button. Each movement was in sync and they locked in unison.

"Yay more family!" Lottie said happily and beamed as she hugged Nero tightly.


	15. The Water Gym

The group was walking down the path until they hit a crossroad. Where the one street ends and the two begin, was a sign that said: Cerulean City. It was a simple sign as it only had the name of the town and a red arrow pointing left.

"This road leads to Cerulean City," Brock said as he pointed in the direction where the arrow was pointing at. "Well, I guess we are heading the right way." Misty was looking depressed but she didn't say anything. "And there is something else scribbled here."

"I hear that people tend to write on signs like this," Ash said and asked. 'What does it say Brock?"

"Gary was here! And Ash is a loser! That isn't right!" Brock said as he started to get angry. Ash's happy demeanor fell a bit as he felt rejected.

"What?!" Misty said as her own anger started to flare a bit as well.

"What the heck is Oak doing…" Michelle mutters.

"He's just a kid, he'll act like it when he wants to. " Selene mutters.

"He wasn't this bad when we last saw him," Michelle explains.

"When time changes, so do people, sometimes for the worse," Selene said before patting Ash's shoulder.

"That big meanie!" Charlotte pouted and folded her arms. She then stuck her tongue at the innocent sign.

"Hey Ash, you gonna be alright?" Michelle asked.

Ash just nodded his head. 'Yeah….let's get going." Pikachu was on his shoulder and trying to cheer him up as he started to walk down the path that leads to their next destination. After awhile, Ash cheered up as he realized how nice the day was turning out. "It's really nice out today,"

Selene nodded,"Indeed, the warmth of the sun is welcoming."

"Hey, don't get all poetic on us!" Michelle said and teasingly pushed her cousin.

"Hey!" Selene said and playfully pushed back before trying to run away from her, and past the others.

"Look at the beauty! Look at the grace! As beautiful Dragonair!" Brock cooed as he chased after the two.

Michelle shook her head before muttering over to Misty and Ash, "More like an Ampharos to me." The two looked confused but they nodded slightly anyway.

"BROCK!" Selene said as her hand was being pulled as he got onto his one knee stance again and he repeats his whole spiel about going out on a date. "No!"

"Brock! Come on, she already said no for the umpteenth time!" Misty said as she stormed over and pulled his ear so he would stop.

"He never learns does he, Michelle said to Ash who gave her a nod.

"Yeah, but it's romantic," Lottie said as she gave a dreamy sigh.

"Don't you start," Michelle said to her younger cousin. Nero just nodded his head in agreement as Luke, Akiko and Pikachu were all snickering.

As they were walking to the next city, Misty was skulking along behind them. She was depressed as she knew she was making her way back to her hometown, and back to her sisters. As much as she didn't want to see her siblings again, she didn't want to destroy the idea of Ash not getting his second badge from them. In fact, she was kind of hoping that he would teach them a lesson in battling.

Soon night was upon them and the group had made a camp and slept until the next day when they finally reached the city. "So this is Cerulean City," Ash said in awe as Brock and he looked around.

"This is my kind of city," Michelle said happily as she looked around. "Look at all the trees!"

"It is quite beautiful," Selene said with a nod, with the rest of the group nodding as well.

Ash was looking around and realized they were missing a member. "Hey, where's Misty?" He asked.

Luke piped up and said through Aura speech, "She's been acting strange the whole walk here."

Nero nodded. Lottie then said, 'Yeah, she's not as loud as she usually is."

"Now that you mention it, that is true, right Akiko?" Michelle said before looking to her partner on her shoulder. The little Pichu nodded as she looked around.

"Maybe she has a reason, let's let it be, I'm sure we'll see her soon,"

"She didn't really want to come here from what I can tell," Brock said.

"I wonder why she doesn't want to be here," Ash said with a shrug.

They were about to say something when they heard the sirens as it went down the street and towards a building where the crowds started to gather. "I wonder what happened," Ash said in thought.

"I'm gonna say a break-in," Michelle said.

"How about we check it out then?" Selene asked as she started to make her way over. The rest of the group nodded and followed her lead.

When they got to the rope, Ash waved down an officer and started to ask questions. 'Excuse me, officer, do you know what happened here?"

"Some burglars broke into the store last night," Said the man.

"I guess I was right," Michelle said with a shrug.

"I wonder what they stole," Selene said before she heard a familiar-like tone.

"What do you know about burglars?" Asked this city's Jenny. "This group looks very suspicious to me,"

"And where do you have any basis for that accusation?" Michelle asked as she folded her arms.

Ash cuts in and says,"You look like the Officer Jenny from Viridian City,"

The officer stopped for a second and smiled, "You must have met my sister-in-law!"

"How does that exactly work?" Michelle mutters to Selene who shrugged.

"If you know her, that means you have dealings with the Police! Now, maybe you just asked her for directions, or maybe you found a wallet and wanted to turn it in, or maybe you are burglars that broke out of jail!" She said as she took out her many handcuffs.

"She's nuts," Michelle said as she raised a brow.

"And where did she hide all those handcuffs….."Selene said with her own eyebrow twitching.

Luke shivered and said through their minds, "Don't ask."

"I've never been to jail before!" Ash said defensively as he stood his ground.

"Well neither have I, Ma'am," Brock said as he raised his hands a bit in defense.

"That's what they all say!"

"Innocent, until proven guilty," Michelle said as she folded her arms.

"We just got into town and saw the crowd and we wondered what was going on," Brock said as he tried to explain things to her.

"The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime," Officer Jenny said with a smirk.

"Haxorus, Hax (Not always)," Nero mutters to the group in Pokespeach.

After getting annoyed with this conversation, everyone started to take out their identification, except for the Pokemon of the group. After making sure everyone checks out, she steps back and bows in apology. "I'm sorry for being suspicious, and now I'm suspicious of my sister-in-law. She has a weird taste in friends,"

Brock then cuts in as he started to go into his flirting spiel. "Um Miss, I was wondering since I'm new in town that maybe we could get together tonight and you can show me around~"

"Well I'm not off duty until past your bedtime and I might pull an all-nighter until these crooks are caught," She said with confidence.

"First, spoke too soon. Second, Burn!" Michelle said with a chuckle.

"Yup, he just couldn't pass up a pretty face I guess," Selene sighed with a shake of her head.

Akiko shakes her head, "Pichu, Pi, Pi. (He never learns)."

"Haxorus, Hax. (Not at all.)" Nero said.

Finally, Ash got the whole conversation back into the problem at hand. "What exactly, did they steal?" He asked.

"That's the strange thing about it, they didn't take any money, just a massive vacuum and a giant hose…" Officer Jenny said.

"You got to be kidding me," Michelle said as she facepalmed.

"Why would anybody want to steal those?" He asked.

"I'm sure I don't know but I know that I don't have time to play games with you and your group. Now please move along."

After leaving the scene, the group headed over to a park and sat down around a bench. Ash was leaning on the back of the bench and yawned a bit.

"Shouldn't we get to the gym?" Brock asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go, just trying to make a plan beforehand," He said as he looked over to his male buddy.

"Little bit of advice Ash, don't plan, it never works very well with this family," Michelle said as she was leaning from behind the two.

"It's true, as they say, the more you fight the person, the more you gain from them and learn their styles," Selene said as she was brushing Lottie's hair and she puts it into a ponytail.

"Remember the times we tried to plan something," Asked Michelle with a chuckle.

"We almost burnt down my home, twice," Selene said with a laugh.

"There was also the time we had that trouble with that one invention of yours," Michelle said as she brought up old memories.

Selene chuckled and nodded,"Yeah, but it ended up ok, I just try to be more careful next time,"

"We also that we try to avoid those situations again,"

"Yeah, and so far we have."

"I get a feeling we won't be able to keep that," Michelle said.

"Don't jinx it yet!" Selene whined.

"Alright, let's get going, we don't want to get there too late," Michelle said as she got up and headed in a direction. Selene huffed as she saw that her cousin ignored her, but she let it go. Lottie and Nero just laughed as Luke rolled his eyes. The three headed after them and they soon came to a crossroads.

Brock stopped as he turned to the group. "I have to go and grab some stuff, I'll meet you there later." He said before heading down to the road on the left.

"Ok, see you later Brock," Selene smiled and waved goodbye as she turned to the group.

"Well, let's get going guys!" Ash said a bit excitedly as he started to head down the road once more.

"Pika Pikachu Pi (I can't wait!)" He said before darting after his trainer.

After a bit of walking, Ash finally took out his map as he started to search for the gym. It took him a bit but they finally found it and they gasped when they did.

"What. ." Michelle said as she looked at the rather gaudy gym. The coloration of pink and yellow, mix with blue would give anyone a headache. The only thing that helped relieve the eyes was the giant Dewgong that stood above the entrance.

"How…..unique," Selene said with a sort of disgusted face.

"That's putting it mildly," Luke said via Aura Speech.

"This is it, might as well head in," Ash said though his face was almost similar to Selene 's, but he didn't care, as long as he could get a battle. Once they got in, they saw it was just a massive pool and there was a bunch of people in the stands. It suddenly went dark and an announcer started to speak.

Selene blinks,"is this a gym or is it a show," She mutters and folds her arms.

"It's like their abusing their status as gym leaders," Michelle said.

"Unless they do battles after the show as a performance," Selene said to her.

"Let's hope that's the case," Michelle said.

From atop the high diving board, were three girls. One with blonde hair, one with blue, and one with pink. The crowds started to go wild as they decided to start the show.

"Hey, guys...I just realized something, almost the entire place is filled with boys…." Michelle said as she looked around.

"I can't blame them," Selene mutters. "They'll go where the pretty girls are, most of them anyway."

"Thank Arceus Brock isn't here," Michelle stated.

"You spoke too soon, he's over there," Ash said as he pointed to Brock in the crowd.

"I got him," Michelle mutters as she made her way through the crowd of swooning men. Once she got to his side, and before he even said anything, she grabbed his ear and started to tow him away and towards the group. "So this is the 'Stuff' you had to do. Really Brock!"

The girls in the pool continued to do their routine and soon it was over. Once it was, Ash and the group went to look for the gym leader.

"I can't understand it," Ash said as they made their way down the stairs and to what-it-seems an aquarium. It was filled with the local water Pokemon. "How could this be a Pokemon gym?" He asked.

"We have seen weirder," Michelle commented.

"We have, and they were great!" Selene beamed.

The three girls who were performing earlier were coming their way. Michelle sighed,"Great we have to talk to the bimbettes,"

"Excuse me," Ash started as he tried to get the three girls attention.

"I'm sorry but you want an interview you have to call our manager," The pink haired one said.

"It's not that," Ash was trying to say but then she said, "We don't do autographs."

"I don't want one," He tried to say again.

"We're just looking for the gym leader," Michelle finally spoke up in a firm voice. From behind Nero was holding onto Brock's collar so that he wouldn't try anything.

"You're looking at them," The Pink haired said.

Michelle muttered to herself, "Choke me with a spoon."

"The Three of us are the gym trainers here," Said the yellow-haired girl.

"We are the Sensational Sisters," Said the Pink haired girl.

"We're World Famous," Said the blue haired girl.

"Never heard of you," Said Selene and Michelle in unison which made the three girls cringe.

"If you three are the gym leaders, then what's with all the swimming?" Ash asked.

"It is our hobby and the fans like it when we perform," The Pink said.

"Three girls in bathing suits swimming around a pool, why wouldn't guys be interested in seeing it," Michelle said sarcastically as she folded her arms.

"We pull our talents to make a big splash," The one girl said before all three started to laugh obnoxiously at their own joke.

That made all of them cringe, but Ash was fed up. "Come on! You guys are supposed to be Gym Leaders! I have the right to challenge the gym!"

"We don't feel like much battling anymore," Said the blonde haired girl.

"What!" Ash said.

Michelle looked over to Selene, "Please tell me you are recording this!"

"I am way ahead of you," She said as she looked at the three.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"We've gotten beaten three times in a row by kids from this nowhere place called Pallet Town.-"

"Oi!" Screamed Michelle.

"Not again," Ash mutters.

"It was just one defeat after the other," complained the blue-haired girl.

"Wow, you guys must be really bad," Michelle commented bluntly.

"My eyes were spinning from all of the losses," The blue one said as she ignored Michelle.

"We practically rushed all of our Pokemon to the Pokemon Center," added the blonde one.

"This is the only one left," The pink haired girl said before taking out her Goldeen who was flopping on the solid ground.

"You only have a Goldeen left?" Ash said in shock," In this whole entire gym?"

The pink haired girl brought back the Goldeen as the Blue one said,"The only attack it can do is Horn Attack until it evolves into a Seaking, it's useless."

"Goldeen's are not useless, they have other moves, you just have to train it," Michelle said.

"That's unfair to the Pokemon, you need to treat it with love and then it evolves, you've just been scolding it!" Selene said as her fists clenched.

"So there's like no point in battling," Remarked the blonde one.

"Now instead of holding matches, we just make ourselves more beautiful than ever!" The Pink haired girl explained.

Ash gasped at this whole entire conversation. He was at the end of his leash.

"I know what you want," The blonde girl said before clapping. "Seel!" She said and a Seel came out from the water and stuck out his tongue which had the badge on it. "This is the Cascade Badge, this is what you want right? You can have it."

Ash then narrowed his eyes as he slapped the badge out of her hands and it landed into the water. 'NO! That is not how people gain badges! They gain badges when they show their true strength and bond that they share with their Pokemon through the tough battles they fight! You are not FIT to be called Gym Leaders!"

"With the amount of evidence we just collected, that might not be true for very much longer," Michelle said as she cut in.

"You three are a bunch of jokes!" Lottie said angrily as she stuck her tongue at the three.

Brock just shook his head, "I can't believe that I liked you three." He respects most gym leaders but those who denounce and shame the name, he wouldn't care for anymore.

"Hold it right there!" Screamed a familiar voice.

Ash and the group all looked towards the stands where Misty was and she was pissed. "Misty!" They all said aloud.


	16. Battle for the Badge

Misty nodded before she made her way down to the railing before jumping over it and landing by the group.

"Daisy, if you don't want to battle him, then let me," She said to the blonde.

Ash blinked before raising a brow," um, what do you mean?" he asked.

"I'm one of the Cerulean Gym Leader's too," Misty explained to him.

"That explains some things," Michelle said.

"I'm the fourth sensational sister," She said as she did the air quotes for 'sensational sisters'.

"There is only three sensational sisters and one runt," The pink-haired sister remarked. Misty just rolled her eyes.

"So little sister, it's a surprise to see you back so soon," Daisy said as she held onto one arm.

"That little girl with the big mouth said that she wouldn't come back until she was a great pokemon trainer, wasn't that you?" Commented the dark blue-haired girl.

Misty just sighed,"I guess I did say something like that when I left,"

"So that's why Misty didn't want to come this way," Ash said to himself in thought.

"Misty, you left here pretending you wanted to become a pokemon trainer because you couldn't compare to us because we are obviously much more talented and beautiful than you are," The pink haired explained.

"That's funny coming from three gym leaders who just started out on their journey," Michelle piped up, the three girls winced a bit. "Now you listen here, you little brats, you are no more than three egotistical bimbettes who think of nothing more than entertaining an arena full of boys in bathing suits," The three gasped and clenched their fists as Michelle continued, "You are SUPPOSED to be GYM LEADERS now, there is nothing wrong with doing something on the side, if it makes more profit, but your MAIN concern was supposed to be gym battles as per league rules." Michelle snapped at them as her eyes turned blue in pure rage. "And DON'T even start on how you treat your own flesh and blood! The way you treat Misty is awful! She is worth ten times more than you three combined! She is compassionate, talented and loyal, much more than I can say about any of you three." With the end of her special, she concluded with a huff and folded her arms. She looked away form the three disgraces as her eyes was turning back to their original color. Akiko and Luke had gone over to her and started to calm her down, both of them throwing irritated looks at the three.

Ash had seen the quick change of Michelle's eye color, but he had more important things to deal with than that. Misty on the other hand had her eyes wide and a soft smile on her lips. She felt honoured by what she had heard, seeing how she had gotten bashed by the same girl multiple times from her bad behavior before. Brock had stayed quiet and listened to how passionate Michelle was yelling at the three, he decided not to intervene.

"So why did you come back," Daisy asked calmly, her tone changed a bit after being yelled at.

"I came back because of him," Misty said and sighed as she pointed to Ash. She then smiled at him, "I appreciate you not taking the badge without working for it,' She said.

"He's totally not someone that I'd choose for a boyfriend," Daisy said with a smile. Both Misty and Ash anime dropped.

"They're more like sister and brother to me, rather than boyfriend and girlfriend," Michelle muttered to herself, Selene overheard the conversation and just nodded. Nero just shook his head and looked at Lottie who looked confused.

"Wait? Are Ash and Misty dating?" Charlotte asked Nero.

"Hax.(No)," Nero said simply before looking at the two being mentioned.

"He is NOT my boyfriend, I only want to battle him, to show you three how's it done!" Misty said with a smirk before looking to Ash. "Alright Ash, are you ready to battle? I fight hard, so don't expect me to hold back just because we are friends,"

"I wouldn't have it any other way Misty," Ash said with determination as he grabbed the air.

As the others prepared for battle, Michelle pulled Brock over and asked, "How did you not know that Misty was a Gym Leader?"

"As a Gym Leader, we can not say who each other is because it gives an advantage to the challenger. We want it to be fair for everyone," He said.

"That does not explain you did not KNOW who she was," Michelle said as she tried to pry the answer out.

Luke aura spoke, "He probably was too distracted by the three elder sisters to notice. Which is just sad in and of itself,"

Brock just blushed and huffed a bit. "I won't deny it, but I will admit that those three do not deserve the title of Gym Leaders, let's go sit so we can see the true battle." He said to them before joining the others in the bleachers.

"Are you ready Ash?" Misty called from on a red floating platform.

Ash turned to look at Pikachu and kneeled down, "You don't want to battle Misty because you two are friends. You don't have to," He said gently before looking up at her. "Yeah I'm ready, how many pokemon Misty?" He asked.

"Two works for me!" She called back.

Ash nodded before folding his hat back before letting Butterfree out.

"Well, in that case, I choose Staryu," She said and soon the star pokemon was standing on another floating platform.

As the battle started, Selene turned to Michelle. "Let's have our pokemon watch the battle, they can learn a few things as they do."

Michelle nodded,"Ok," She said before letting out Enzi, Xylon, and Zeffa. Akiko was already out and on top of her head. Enzi smiled as he watched his best friend battle. Xylon was resting on the railing. Selene had let her pokemon out and Dracule instantly took to her hair. Alice the Paras made her way to Zeffa. Devi made its way up the railing and watched the battle in intrigue. Clancy was perched by Xylon as he too watched the show.

Ash had taken out his pokedex to scan the Starfish-like pokemon. It was normal until it explained how the red jewel in the center was usually poached for jewelry.

Ash, Michelle, and Selene all made a face. Along with Charlotte and the other pokemon.

" Might I just say that that is disturbing," Michelle said as she shuttered. Everyone else agreed as the two continued their battle.

As they battled, the three bimbettes were talking nearby. "Do you really think Misty can win?" The blue-haired girl asked her sisters.

The pink-haired girl replied "In her dreams maybe,"

"Seel…." The Seel said as he stood by the girls as well.

Selene just sighed and muttered to Michelle,"Even when we stood up for Misty, those three still don't get it. They're still harsh on her," She explained as they overheard the trio.

"There is nothing much between their ears," Michelle stated with a shrug. Selene just nodded.

After a bit of splashing, due to Staryu's attacks, the three girls started talking again. "Misty is doing pretty good," Daisy said as she watched.

"Well we three got the good looks in the family, so she I guess that she had to get some talent," replied the pink-haired girl.

From the bleachers, Michelle stood up and yelled at them,"Would you three, just shut up!" After getting some silence, she sat back down and turned her eyes onto the battle. She was just in time to see that Staryu knocked Butterfree into the pool.

The blue-haired sister looked at the other two in disbelief. They were farther away from them, and they weren't talking loud enough to be heard that far. "How did she hear us?" She whispered to the other two sisters. The two other girls shrugged.

Ash made a good choice by switching out Butterfree to Pidgeotto. Seeing how Ash switched, Misty decided to switch as well, and got her Starmie out. Ash had ordered Pidgeotto to use gust and he did it well enough that it sent the starmie into the wall. It blinked it's jewel in pain. Ash was going to congratulate his Pidgeotto but there was a rumbling and out from a wall came a strange-looking tank on wheels.

"What the-" Selene said as she stood up. Clancy cawed and screeched in annoyance at the interruption.

Out from the bottom half of the 'tank', the regular Team Rocket Trio emerged. "I'm sorry to interrupt the party ladies-"

"Allow us to introduce ourselves-" James said after Jessie.

"Oh no, not again," Michelle muttered.

Though before Selene could say anything, Clancy darted forward and started a barrage of pecks at the three. The trio was screaming and yelping as they tried to avoid the pokemon. "Spearow! Spear! Row, Row Row!" Clancy said to them during the whole barrage.

"Who cares if we interrupted your entertainment!" Growled Meowth as he tried to swipe at Clancy.

"Spearow! Spear!" Clancy replied as he mainly attacked Meowth.

'Get off me you bird brain!" Meowth said as he accidentally fury swiped Jesse and James. Seeing how the two humans were going to try to hit him, he darted out of the way and Jessie and James both hit Meowth to the ground. Michelle couldn't help but start to laugh from the sidelines. Clancy gave one last screech before flying and landing onto Selene's shoulder.

After composing themselves, the trio went back to what they were about to say. "You see a water pokemon has the advantage in water," James said.

"But if you take that water away-" Jessie started.

"Then the pokemon is ours for the taking," James finished and Meowth grinned.

"And I know just how to do it," Meowth said.

The blue-haired girl folded her arms. "What are they trying to prove?"

Before any other words can be spoken, a hose came out from the back of the weird machine and started to suck all the pool water out.

"A massive vacuum and a giant hose, they are the robbers who took the items last night," Ash said to the group.

Seel had made his way over to the hurt Starmie and was trying to wake it up, to get him out of harm's way. Seeing the opportune moment, Team Rocket quickly snatched the two pokemon with their hose. They then brought the hose back into the water. The suction was so great, that it created waves. Pikachu and Akiko had gone to the waters edge to try and help but they were pulled into the pool and towards the hose.

"Wait, water conducts electricity," Ash said in thought which immediately peaked the interest of Michelle. Looking over to her, they made eye contact and nodded in agreement as they both ordered their pokemon to use Thunder Shock. It zapped the trio. The electricity blew the machine up, but after the Starmie and Seel got out.

The machine had broken and was now laying pieces around the gym. The pool was too damaged and the wall needed to be fixed. Ash saw how bad it was damaged and turned to Misty. "Seeing how we can't safely continue our battle, let's stop it for now."

"No need," Misty said as she shook her head. "You would've won. You've earned it," She said gently as she motioned Seel to come over and give him the badge.

Ash blinked and smiled as he bent down and took it into his hands. '"Are you sure about this Misty?" He asked and looked at her.

"I wouldn't have given it to you otherwise," She explains.. Misty then turns to her sisters and said,"I'm sorry to leave you, but I'm not done chasing my dream.":

Daisy smiled and shook her head," You can go on, you've definitely proved it." The other two gasped and made faces but didn't say anything. "We'll fix this up and I can assure you, that we will change our ways, or at least I will," Daisy said to them. "Come back anytime,"

"At least this one has a brain," Michelle mutters to herself but she got a small nudge form, Selene .

"Let's get going," Brock said and waved to the girls before heading off in a direction. The others nodded as they began to follow him. Ash had gone to walk beside Brock.

"You're not leaving without me!" Misty said as she darted after them. Ash and her then began to banter as they headed to the west.

"It's going to be a long walk," Charlotte said with a huff. Selene, Michelle, Luke, and Nero all laughed at her response.


	17. The Unofficial Gym

The group was walking down the path towards their new destination. Ash was walking beside Misty and he asked her. "So we are heading for Vermillion city?"

Misty nodded, "Yeah, it holds the famous ship the !" She swooned.

"Isn't that the expensive luxury liner?" Michelle asked with a raised brow as Akiko was asleep on her head and Luke was walking beside her.

"Yes, but it also holds the next gym, and the next step for Ash's collection of badges," Brock piped in.

"We probably should be careful, I heard there was tough trainers in this area," Misty said.

"At least we get some experience for the next gym,"Michelle said.

"A little training here and there wouldn't hurt," Selene said as she leaned against Nero who has Lottie on his shoulders as usual.

Michelle had turned to Luke and smiled,"How about we let Zylon out to train," Luke nodded as she let her Pidgey out.

"Well if you're training Zylon, then I'll let Clancy train with you," Selene said and was going to let out Clancy but Devi decided to appear first and she was ready to go. "Devi! You're not fighting!"

Devi just used string shot on Selene's head before quickly making her way over to Zylon who was on the ground. The little weedle began to nuzzle Zylon with a happy smile. A screech then filled the air as Misty started to freak out and dart a bit backwards untill she was behind a tree. Selene muttered, "Not again,"

"How could you be afraid at something so adorable!" Michelle indicated as she pointed to the two snuggling pokemon. Zylon was pretty happy as he returned the affection to the little weedle.

Misty just gave a hmph and stayed behind the tree.

"We seriously need to get her out of that habit.." Michelle muttered to Selene who nodded.

"Yeah, but it looks like Devi is staying out, so I might as well let Clancy train with both of them then," Selene then let out her spearow. Clancy cawed as he was looking at the two before puffing out his chest in a sign to show that he was ready.

In the background, Ash had spotted a trainer nearby. "Hey I'm gonna go ask that kid if he wants to battle, I'll meet you over there," He said and jogged his way over to his going to be new friend. Nero looked between the two and Lottie convinced him to follow Ash, Brock decided to join him as well. Misty sprinted past Devi to follow the other half of the group to the new trainer.

"I'm surprised Misty didn't shriek again," Michelle chuckled.

"Yeah, while they're at it, you and Luke can train, I'll watch these three if you want." Selene offered.

"Thanks," Michelle said before Luke and her went a bit farther away and out of sight to train. There Selene watched as the three were exchanging attacks. Zylon was trying to attack Clancy but Clancy was trying to sneak an attack on Devi. Devi was getting annoyed and tried to use string shot on Clancy, but Zylon gave a blow that sent Clancy back. Devi then wiggled in anger and started to yell at Zylon for not letting her attack. Zylon then let his guard down as he felt sorry and tried to let her attack him. That left him open and Clancy decided to take that opportunity, and that action made his comrade angry and she tried to hit him with her poison point.

Clancy dodged at the last minute but he swiped at her and made her roll backwards. Zylon cawed angrily at Clancy and swooped to attack him and the two began fighting in the air, letting Devi alone on the ground. Devi slowly got up and was yelling angrily at them both but then she began to glow and she evolved into her Kakuna stage. She then used string shot on Clancy, the tail end of the string shot got stuck on a tree branch as he began to fall, making him hang upside down and wrapped like a mummy. Zylon huffed at him before swooping down and landing beside Devi and began to nuzzle her again in congratulations. Selene had watched the whole thing and was a bit speechless but she let it slide and went to stand under the tree beside them.

Selene then looked up at Clancy, "You did this to yourself," She commented to him.

" . (Maybe, just a little.)" Clancy sighed through the string.

Selene just shook her head as she helped him out of the string. "Go apologize now," She ordered him before freeing him up at last.

Clancy nodded before flying down to the two. "Spearow Spear, Spear Spearow. (I'm sorry for getting too hyped, you did good)"

Zylon eyed him up and down a bit before nodding his head. "Pid..PIdgey Pidge. (I forgive you, but bigger isn't always better.)"

Clancy then chuckled, "Spearow, Spear Spear Spearow Spear. (It wasn't about size but if we are going down that route, i'm glad i'm bigger than you.)"

As he uttered his last word, Zylon was engulfed in white light and began to evolve. Soon enough he was a Pidgeotto. "Pidgeotto Otto. (Now what where you saying?)" He asked as he did a size check with his wing. Clancy just faints at the sight. Devi got excited and started to love on her boy some more.

"Uh….what did I miss?" Michelle asked as she, Luke, and Akiko was coming up to the small group.

Selene chuckled, "Well…." The girl then started to explain what had happened in detail. "So yeah, Devi and Zylon are together and they both evolved.."

"Well it's a little strange here, but not where we came from," Michelle told Selene before turning to Zylon, "So you got yourself a girlfriend." Zylon then started to blush and ruffle his feathers a bit as Akiko started giggling. Devi didn't care, she just continued to nuzzle her newly evolved man.

"Alright guys, I think we should meet up with the rest, they might be wondering where we are," Selene said before hesitantly dragging Devi away and back into her pokeball.

"Come on Zylon, you can see her later," Michelle said as she put Zylon back into is ball.

Selene just shook her head at Clancy. "What am I going to do with you," She muttered before bringing him back into his pokeball. Then the four went to reunite with the other half of the group,right when Ash had finished the battle with the newcomer.

"You're a really great pokemon trainer, your sandshrew looks well cared for, makes me think of another trainer I know." The boy said.

"Another trainer?" Selene asked with a raised brow. That got the attention of everyone as the two came up.

"Yes, he reminds me a bit of AJ," The boy explains.

"Who the heck is AJ?" Michelle asked.

"Yeah, he lives over there," The kid said as he pointed behind him. "He catches savage pokemon and made his own gym."

"Savages…..?" Michelle and Selene asked with a raised brow.

"Seriously savage?" Michelle repeated as her face contorted in anger and annoyance.

"I'm sure they're just wild pokemon like everyone else's," Selene tried to calm her down.

"Still, i don't like that name," Michelle muttered.

"He never lost a single match," The boy continued.

"Lucario Lu, Car. (He sounds like he has a big head.)" Luke said to the group.

Nero just gave a hmph and Lottie nodded.

"You guys have been spending way too much time with me," Michelle mutters to herself.

"Let's check it out," Ash said with a smile. "It might be fun to try and beat him then,"

The group said their farewells to the boy as they headed in the direction of AJ's gym. Akiko was looking down from Michelle's head as she watched Pikachu ride on Ash's Sandshrew's back. They finally came up to a pink and yellow tent with a big technologically advanced sign in front of it. In bright red letters it said: A.J.'s Gym UNDEFEATED. It green beside it were the winnings and losses, it being he won ninety-eight times and lost none. Below that, in yellow, was a note saying: GYM NOT SANCTIONED BY POKEMON LEAGUE.

"At least he says it wasn't sanctioned," Selene said as she read the sign.

"True, but where the heck did he get the sign in the first place, that isn't cheap." Michelle continued.

"He has ninety-eight wins in a row," Misty said in awe.

"Are one of you my next victim?" Said a voice to the left of the group. A boy with spiky green hair with a backpack on his back has acknowledged them.

"Are you AJ, the Wild Pokemon Trainer?" Ash asked with a raised brow.

"That's my job, but beating chumps like you is my hobby.," He said with a smirk.

"No need to be rude," Michelle grumbled.

"Alrighty, excuse my rough exterior, but who are you guys and who is gonna battle me?" He asked.

"That would be my cousin," She said as she pointed to Ash. Akiko popped her head into view as she voiced her agreement.

He blinked seeing Akiko but didn't say anything as he turned to look at Ash. "And you are?"

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and this is my partner Pikachu," He said as he pointed to his yellow buddy. He then continued his talk, "The girl you were talking to was Michelle Ketchum, my cousin. The little girl on top of the Haxorus is Charlotte, but you can call her Lottie, a cousin. The woman next to those two is Selene Tesla, my other cousin. The red haired girl is Misty, and the guy next to her is Brock." He began to introduce.

"It's nice to meet you all, but what are those pokemon," AJ asked as he looked at all the new pokemon that he never saw before.

"This is Akiko, and she's a Pichu, the pre-evolution of Pikachu. They're mostly seen in Johto," Michelle explained. "And this pokemon next to me, is Luke. He's a Lucario, they're seen mostly in Sinnoh." Luke and Akiko waved.

"And this big meanie that i'm riding on, is Nero the Haxorus!" Lottie explained as Nero huffs.

Selene just shook her head at the two, "Haxorus are found in Unova," She explains to him.

"Well it's nice to see new pokemon, hey Ash is that your sandshrew?" He asked him.

Ash nodded and picked up Sandshrew for a bit, "Yeah, I just got him recently. I'm still training him, but we're already good friends. Right Sandshrew?" He .

"Shrew! Shrew!" The Sandshrew smiled happily.

"Well that's good to know, how about we start that battle of ours, please come into my domain?" He said as the doors opened to show how big the gym was.

"Wow," Ash said in awe as they walked through.

"Not too shabby," Misty commented as she looked around.

"Geez kid, how did you make this all by yourself?" Michelle said as she looked around as well.

"Lot's of long hours," He explained to her before making his way up to the battlefield, there a Butterfree came and took the backpack off him and into the tent.

"What's in the backpack?" Ash asked as he watched the Butterfree disappear.

"It holds all the wild pokemon that I have recently caught," He explains. "There's a whole bunch more in the tent, and then some."

Ash smiled, "Hey, can we see them after the match?"

"If you want," AJ explains as he watches Ash get onto the other side. "So which pokemon are you going to choose for my ninety-ninth win?" AJ asked.

"Well that was rude," Michelle mumbles as she stood on the sidelines with the rest of the group. Selene just sighed.

Ash looked at AJ wither determination in his eyes, he had returned his Sandshrew back to its pokeball before he had walked up onto the platform. "Let's get started,"

"Yes, let's get started then. Sandshrew, go!" AJ said as he threw the pokeball like fast ball onto the field as his Sandshrew came out.

"A sandshrew, this could be interesting," Ash said with a smile. He then got a bit more serious as he turned his hat back and took out his pokeball. "PIdgeotto, let's go!" He then released his pokeball onto the field and out came his friend.

"Sandshrew go," AJ said and he pulled out a whip and cracked it onto the ground. It signaled Sandshrew to launch itself at Pidgeotto.

"Dodge!" Ash commanded as his bird pokemon spun out of the way to dodge the coming Sandshrew. "Whirlwind!" He ordered as the air began to spin around the bird and towards the opponent. Another crack of the whip was heard and Sandshrew began to dig underground. When the wind cleared up it showed it's hole. Before Ash could make another attack, the Sandshrew came up and struck the bird in midair. As he was falling back to earth he grabbed the Sandshrew and brought him down before him, landing on top of the sandshrew. The impact had created dust and it was hard to see who had won. As the dust cleared, they could see both of the pokemon standing on their side of the field. Both were battered and bruised. Pidgeotto was raising its wings to try and do a battle cry but it stopped and dropped to the ground unconscious. A few seconds laters AJ's Sandshrew followed in suit.

Selene blinked but couldn't help but start to clap, it was clearly a really close battle. "That was a great battle!" She cheered.

Michelle nodded," Yeah-" She stopped as she heard a thump in the distance. "Did you hear something?"

"I"m not sure," Selene said with a shrug.

The sign above the gate changed from ninety-eight to ninety-nine. "That makes victory ninety-nine!" AJ said with a smile as he raised his fist into the air. His Sandshrew stood beside him and was raising his arm up to the sky too.

"Those two are definitely close," Michelle whispered to Selene.

"Yeah, it's pretty cute," Her cousin said with a smile.


	18. The 100th Win

"Congrats, you were the first to have ever gotten so close to defeating my ace," AJ said as he held out a hand for Ash to shake.

Ash shook his hand with a smile, "Thank you, it was a great battle, you trained your sandshrew well,"

"Nicely done," Michelle smiled as she went over to them.

"May we see how you train your Sandshrew?" Selene asked as she walked up behind them.

AJ nodded,"Sure, as long as you don't steal my secrets," He teased before heading into his tent, he kept it open for the group to follow him.

For a half an hour they were watching how AJ was training his pokemon. His regime may have been strict but the pokemon were clearly loving the whole experience, no matter how hard it may be. Selene and Michelle were in awe as Sandshrew went up and began to dive from the diving board.

'You're looking at the only ground type pokemon to withstand water," AJ commented with pride.

"What about that contraption around his body?" Selene asked as she bent down to inspect Sandslash.

'It's my own invention, it helps the pokemon get to their best potential," He explained to her.

"How intriguing," Selene said as she continued to inspect the new invention.

"She's an inventor," Michelle explained to AJ before she turned to her cousin, "Just don't blow it up!"

"How can I blow it up, it's not even my invention, anyhow, you're invention is clearly in good condition," Selene said with a nod before giving a glare to Michelle to stop her from saying anything else.

"Do I need to remind you of my radio," Michelle deadpanned. Selene just rolls her eyes before watching as the Sandshrew then went to the three Ratatta's to work on its passing.

"They all look so healthy, what do you give them?" Brock asked as he had evaluated all the pokemon that was in the tent.

AJ perked up, "It's my special recipe. I have to monitor each and every one of my pokemon's diets, so I came up with a special blend." He said as he headed to a gigantic cabinet that held lots of jars that were filled with pokemon food for all kinds of pokemon.

In the background, Selene, Michelle, and Lottie all spotted what Pikachu was trying to do. He was beside the Sandshrew and was watching him curl some weights. He looked down and saw a small weight and tried to lift it. He got it to his chin before falling backward and almost into the pool. Akiko had scampered down and was now giggling at her brother for his failure. Nero and Luke couldn't help but chuckle.

The bell rang and AJ turned to his pokemon, "You can all have a fifteen-minute break," He said as the pokemon dropped to regain their strength.

"Is that enough time?" Michelle asked.

"I assure you, that I had calculated everything, they have multiple fifteen-minute breaks every couple hours," AJ said. Michelle shrugs. Ash then went over to AJ and asked him a few things, but they didn't pay attention to the wet floor and they both fell in. Brock and Misty ran over and try to get them both out.

Meanwhile, close to the tent's side, Pikachu was playing with Sandshrew's strength enhancer for he had taken it off to relieve his muscles. Pikachu accidentally made it close around its paw and neck, then it proceeded to snag his other limbs. The whole motion made him curl up like Sandshrew would. Sandshrew laughed before joining Pikachu by curling next to him. Akiko shook her head before darting back towards Michelle and onto her shoulder.

While everyone was distracted, Team Rocket had put themselves into a red rubber ball and rolled into the tent. They found where Pikachu and Sandshrew were at and tried to grab Pikachu before darting out of the tent. What they didn't know, was that they grabbed Sandshrew instead of Pikachu.

It wasn't long after when the bell rang again, and that Ash and he were now back on solid ground. Michelle began to hand them both towels as AJ looked around. "You guys can all get back to work," He commented before realizing someone was missing. "Where's Sandshrew?"

"Ah! Pikachu?!" Ash panicked a bit as he saw Pikachu in a ball.

"Let me help you with that," AJ said as he went and released Pikachu from his invention.

"You should really add a safety button so if a pokemon was hooked onto something, and/or got stuck with it on,' Selene suggested to him.

AJ nodded,"Yeah, that sounds like a swell idea, but now where is Sandshrew?" He asked., his tone beginning to get more panicky.

"Pikachu, I'm glad you're ok," Ash said to Pikachu before nuzzling his cheek against his.

"Pikachu, have you seen Sandshrew?" AJ asked the yellow pokemon.

Pikachu shook his head.

"Hey Akiko, did you see anything?" Michelle asked as she looked up and towards her forehead where Akiko was looking over. She gave a small shake of her head.

AJ then started to call Sandshrew's name as he started to walk around the tent and soon out of the tent. He had asked everyone to help in the search.

Out of the blue, Sandshrew dug his way out from below but he wasn't alone, Meowth was with him but unconscious. He jumped onto AJ and the two gave each other a warm and welcoming hug. The other pokemon of his started to crowd around him and celebrate the return of his partner pokemon. Sandshrew began to lick his trainer's head and Selene gave an aw moment.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here," Michelle said as she stood over Meowth with her arms crossed.

Brock and Misty gasped," Meowth!"

Meowth woke up from all the commotion and saw Michelle glaring at him. He then looked around and saw everyone had their eyes on him. He started to mumble to himself, "How am I going to get out of this mess?"

A duo of voices was heard from the front entrance as Jesse and James stood there. "Prepare for trouble," Jesse began to say dramatically.

"Make it double," James continued as he held up his iconic rose.

"Oh for the love of Arceus," Michelle sighed and shook her head.

"Team Rocket," Ash said as he balled his fist and glared at the trio.

"To protect the world from devastation," Jessie said once more.

"To unite all people within our nation," James said.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love," The duo said in unison. "To extend our reach to the stars above,"

"Jessie," She said as she struck a pose.

"James," He said as he threw the rose to the group before standing next to Jessie.

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light," Jessie said as she let her Ekans out.

"Surrender now or prepare to fight," James said as he released his Koffing.

"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth said as he jumped and landed in front of them.

Selene and Michelle were quirking an eyebrow as they saw the duo crying and mumbling to themselves. "What's up with them?" Michelle asked. Selene just shrugged.

"Are you the creeps who kidnapped my Sandshrew?" AJ asked in anger as he balled his fist.

"Hmmm," Jessie said as she shook her finger. "That was an unfortunate mix up,"

"We have no interest in your second rate Sandshrew," James explained.

"Oooh, I'm going to enjoy this," Michelle said with a smirk as she saw how angry AJ got.

"SECOND RATE!" AJ said with eyes wide with anger.

"The only pokemon we want is Pikachu and Pichu, you can keep all those other wimps," James said with a nod.

AJ kept getting angrier and angrier. , "Wimps are they?"

"They're just fanning the flames, aren't they," Michelle said to Selene.

Selene nodded, "yeah, they're digging their own graves." She smirked.

"That's it!" Ash said as he was getting upset but he was stopped by AJ.

"I'll handle this," He said, "No one insults my pokemon and gets away with it." He then narrowed his eyes. "Step outside," He ordered.

Soon everyone was outside, AJ was on the pokemon field with Sandshrew, while Team Rocket was on the other side of the field. Aj's new friends were on the sidelines and were rooting him on. "Team Rocket has insulted our gym, we'll answer them with our one-hundredth win,"

"That will cost you big time," Jesse said with a smirk as she looked at Ekans. James nodded as he looked at Koffing himself.

"Sandshrew, go!" AJ ordered the small ground type pokemon to dart forward and towards the poison-typed pokemon. He curled himself into a ball and used it as a way to free Ekans's Bind attack.

"It's so strong," Ash said with a smile.

"Nice work!" Misty said as she cheered alongside Brock.

"Koffing, Sludge attack!" James ordered as he tried to counter Sandshrew's spinning attack. It only got repelled and the sludge was thrown onto the ground, leaving Sandshrew's armor clean. James then looked down at Meowth. "Get in there!"

Meowth then started to play with Sandshrew like he was a giant ball of yarn. "Stop pussyfooting around!" Jessie ordered.

"Just biting my time," Meowth said before trying to bite into Sandshrew's armor, but it broke some teeth. "The moment of tooth!" He screamed as he felt the shattered teeth.

A sound of the whip echoed through the air. "Finish him! Sandshrew, Fisher Strike!" AJ ordered as Sandshrew jumped high before pointing at the ground and starting to spin. "Go Sandshrew! Drill to the ground till it splits!" Sandshrew then reached the ground and made impact. A few seconds went by with nothing happening before the whole battlefield broke into multiple pieces.

Michelle began to cough as she saw the sight, "My Arceus!" Selene and the rest just watched with wide eyes, a few coughs were thrown in as well as the dust settled down. It didn't take long before Meowth and Team Rocket were darting out of the gated gym.

After the moment was clear, AJ turned to Sandshrew and began to cry. "We did it Sandshrew, we can now go collect badges," The Sandshrew began to cry as well as he leaned up to hug his trainer.

"Congratulations,' Selene said as she clapped. AJ gave a smile before nodding.

"Thank you, and I gotta collect my stuff. I'll see you outside the gates," He said with a nod. It wasn't long before the tall wooden gates closed behind the group. The group now stood facing AJ. "When I come back here, I'll be the number one Pokemon Master," He said confidently.

"How about you join us?" Ash asked him as he gave a nod to his wish.

"Thanks, but Sandshrew and I have our own path to follow," He said before holding out a hand for all of them to shake.

"We'll meet again at the Indigo League, I'm sure," Ash said with a nod and gave him a strong and firm handshake.

"Ok, can't wait," AJ said before waving goodbye. "So long!" He said

As they watched their new friend leave, Misty piped up, "He was tough but pretty cool."


	19. A Forest one Second, A School the Next

Fog was ever present as the group was heading towards their next destination.

"I think we need a little break, let me get something together," Brock said when they came to a stop. He bent down and started to unload the backpack. Out from his bag was a table, a few chairs, a vase of flowers and various other things that he needed for them to have some lunch.

Nero shakes his head and mutters," Hax...Haxorus? (Where did the table and chairs come from?)"

Selene looked at Nero and gave a slight chuckle as Lottie was watching with wide eyes too. "Did you give him a prototype of your expandable backpack?" Michelle asked with a raised brow.

She nodded and turned to her. "Yeah, I thought it would be good for him to try it out as well, since he'll find it useful."

Misty just watched as her eyes twitched a bit but she decided to go with it. She had seen strange things from that group. Ash was just amazed and happily watched as he started to make some food.

"There's nothing as satisfying as a cup of one hundred percent Cerulean Coffee," Brock said as he pulled out a coffee machine from his bag.

"I'm sorry but I don't drink coffee," Michelle said as she held up her hands a bit

"I'll have a cup," Selene said as she sat down in one of the chairs.

"Ash, Misty, do you two want any coffee?" Brock asked but the two just shook their heads. "Alright, more for me and Selene then," He said.

As Brock was preparing the coffee, Misty then asked hopefully, "How about some herbal tea?"

"No, thank you," Ash said as he thought.

"This may be the time to try out my new Pokemon tea set!" Brock said a bit too excitedly as he took out a teapot and a teacup that had multiple Pokemon on it.

Everyone got a couple sweat drops. "Where did you put that…." Selene said as she moved to look at the still big bag.

"Please don't tell me it turned into an A.I. again," Michelle groaned.

"I'm not sure how but I got it in," He said with a shrug. Brock then bent down to get something else from his magical bag. "Now I just need some water. Ahah! Sparkling Mount Moon Water!" He said before speaking in a french accent. "Now for the special snack~ I offer you some french Kalosian Crepes,"

Misty's sweatdrop got bigger before a blush went over her face and she swooned. "I just love Kalosian Kalosian food, it's so romantic~" Brock coughed a bit before slightly blushing.

"I can't get anything done without a fire. Could one of you go into the forest and get some firewood please?" Brock asked as he started to make the mixture for the Crepes as the Tea and the Coffee were being made as well.

"I'll stay here with you Brock," Misty suggested since she didn't want to go into the forest and encounter bug types.

"That means Michelle, Ash and I will go look for firewood. Three people can come back with more wood," Selene said.

Luke just grunts as a saying that he'll be joining them.

"Can I go too!" Lottie asked with her eyes big and pleading but Nero just picked her up and placed her on his back and sat down near the camp. She just huffed. "You big meanie! Why can't I go?" Nero was just answering her with grunts and poketalk. Selene didn't even have to say anything and she let her brother talk to her about it.

Ash nodded and soon the small group was heading into the fog.. "How are we supposed to find firewood in this thick fog?" Michelle commented as she looked around.

"I'm not sure, but there is a light up there. Maybe we can ask them,' Selene said as she then began to head towards it. Ash and Michelle following in suit with Luke.

"What's this pokemon?" Asked a spiky red-headed boy who was showing a card of a Pidgey to a boy who was running on a treadmill while others were around him with candles a glow.

"What is this? A cult?" Michelle asked as they were getting close. "All they need is long robes."

Selene bit her lip and shook her head. "I don't know but this looks like trouble." She said.

The boy on the treadmill was trying to keep up as he looked at the card. 'uh..Zubat?"

"It may be foggy out here but that doesn't mean your brain should be," said a snobbish green haired boy.

"I..it's a pidgey," He said.

"Lucky guess," The redhead said.

Michelle bristled a bit and muttered,"I sense bullying,"

Selene nodded but holds her back for just a second. She didn't' want her to accuse them of anything until it was certain.

The small group then started to ask him about the levels and what moves Pidgey has to learn. The boy started to talk but then he tripped and fell. "Sorry, I forgot," The boy muttered. The small group of boys sighed.

"You forgot huh? You're a disgrace to Poketech and we don't want to study with someone like you," said the redhead.

"Well, what do we have here?" Michelle said in her older and sterner voice.

"A bunch of pompous jerks trying to make themselves feel better," Selene said as she crossed her arms. Luke growls as he stares them down with Pikachu and Akiko.

"Why don't you leave him alone," Ash said with his hand in a fist.

"Mind your own business," Muttered the redhead.

"Little boy, you are way too young to tell us what to do," Michelle said with a glare.

"This is a private training session," The boy said a bit weaker but still had the sharpness to it.

"This is why I hate pompous people," Michelle mutters before whispering to Selene. "My family is related to royalty but we never acted like this."

Selene just sighed. "I know this is private, but bullying isn't something that we tolerate. Especially from little boys like you. Now run along to your class or I'll personally talk to your headmaster."

"Our school doesn't' want weaklings like him," remarked the green haired boy as he pointed a finger at the light brunette boy.

"I don't know about this school of yours but if it's turning out students like you, I'll have to say the standards are pretty low," Ash said as the boy beside him just looked confused. Michelle and Luke were smirking for his comeback.

"That's right!" Misty said as she showed up behind the group.

The green haired boy just rolled his eyes as he motioned the others to follow him back to the school. "We've had enough of this, let's get back." He muttered before turning to look at the boy. "We'll see you back at the school Joe,"

"O..ok," said Joe from beside Ash.

"Who do those guys think they are?" Ash muttered.

"Unfortunately, that's how pompous people act. Selene, Luke and I have seen plenty," Michelle said as she shook her head.

"So those are the infamous Poketech students," Brock said as he appeared nearby with a bowl in hand. His whisk still going as he stared into the distance.

"It's a school for pokemon trainers," Misty said as she then fumbled around in her pocket before pulling out the flyer. Before she could read it, Brock snagged it.

"Why is it in the middle of nowhere?" Michelle asked.

"Hmm, let's see here. Pokemon Technical Institute is a boarding school for serious pokemon trainer preparation. All students guaranteed to enter the Pokemon League after graduation. Pokemon Technical is a sure way for people to become Pokemon trainers in a short amount of time." Brock explained as Pikachu was playing around with the treadmill. As Brock continued to read he leaned on the treadmill and accidently made it faster which lead to Pikachu falling off.

"This means that they don't have to go on long pokemon journeys," Brock said as Akiko was laughing at her brother.

"That is the most stupidest thing that I had ever heard," Michelle mutters and rolls her eyes.

"Everyone should go on a journey, that's how you make friends and gain experience. Think of all the memories that they won't have because of this." Selene said.

"Not to mention the sights that they won't see, the events that they won't be able to participate in, and the surprises that they will miss," Michelle added.

"Getting to the Pokemon League without badges is too easy anyway. I would rather show and earn my strength then get it handed to me," Ash said.

Michelle then hugged her cousin. "I'm so proud of you," Ash just smiled and chuckled a bit.

"Wait there's more, the tuition is high standards based on what Poketech wants," Brock said.

"My opinion it's a waste of money," Michelle said and Selene and the group nodded. All the while Joe just stood there watching them and the new pokemon he hasn't seen. He watched Akiko for a bit, and then to Luke who just watched him warily. His eyes then went to Nero who bounded up to them with Lottie on his back.

"Hello!" Lottie says to Joe happily.

Joe just looks at them dumbfounded as he barely waved back.

"Where is this place anyway," Ash said in thought.

Joe finally snapped out of it before addressing Ash. "It's right over there," He said as he pointed in a direction.

An announcement chimed in as the fog started to disappear. It was all part of the schooling that the rich students get.

Michelle blinked,"I swear we were in the forest not even two seconds ago,"

Selene looked around before spotting the gate. "Oh, I guess we made a camp in the school grounds." She then turned around to see their camp and that Brock was still holding his bowl.

Lottie then blinked,"Oooh!" She said excitedly and was about to explore before Nero held her back and shook his head. Lottie just huffed and pouted as she folded her arms.

Joe then sighed after he heard that the next day was snow battle secrets for the school. "Oh well, I guess they'll make me into a snowman….again."

"That's incredibly dangerous!" Michelle said and growled.

Selene sighed and glared at Michelle to try and get her back to not reveal anything. She then turned to look Joe, "That's not good Joe, those boys are bullying you. You should tell someone."

"My friends are trying to help me," Joe countered.

"You call them friends!" Ash said in shock.

"With friends like that, who needs enemies," Brock said with a shake of his head.

"But they helped me learn that Pidgey evolves to Pidgeotto at level fifteen and that it learns whirlwind at level twenty-one, and after evolving to Pidgeot it's speed increases up to mach two." Joe said.

"That isn't always correct Joe," Michelle mentions.

"It depends on the trainer and the Pokemon if it wants to learn those moves." Selene said.

"Just like humans, Pokemon are born with certain genetic quirks to them," Michelle added.

"Not every pokemon or people are the same," Selene said and smiled, "That's what makes the world beautiful."

"Yeah, nobody is exactly the same, and if everyone was the same it would be boring," Michelle finished. Brock, Misty and Ash nodded their heads in agreement.

"I have to stay in Poketech because my parents saved up a lot of money to send me here. The classes are tough and even upperclassmen have trouble with it, like that guy over there who has been here for years." Joe said as he pointed to the tree where an older man was sitting down and studying.

Selene winced a bit.

"I want to meet the student who is in charge of this, maybe then they would help keep the bullying down to nothing," Ash said with thought.

"Seeing as to how they are in charge with the system, I highly doubt it," Michelle said to him.

"Here's a picture," Joe said as he took out a picture from his pocket.

"It's a girl?" Misty asked.


	20. Lessons about Friendships

Brock just started to drool as he saw the photo. Misty quickly hits him in the back of the head. She let him wallow a bit before looking at the boy. "If she is making your life so terrible then why are you carrying her picture?" She asked with a mutter.

"That's a very good question," Michelle said as she folded her arms. Akiko was tilting her head a bit as she watched.

"I hate the way she treats us but I like the way she looks," Joe said in an answer. Both Michelle and Selene facepalmed.

Misty was already hot-tempered but after seeing Brock continue to googly eyes at the photo she went out of control, "I'M GOING TO FIND THAT WITCH AND I'M GOING TO TEACH HER A LESSON!" She snarled. She then started to stomp towards the entrance of the school.

"Misty, wait!" Ash said as he started to follow her.

"Come on, let's follow her so she doesn't get herself into trouble," Michelle sighed before following her. Brock and the rest of the group followed in suit.

The group had gone into the school and followed Joe to the training center. Inside the room were a bunch of simulators. "Giselle is always in here practicing by herself," Joe said.

Michelle looked around and sighed," you got to be kidding me."

"This isn't how you practice, you practice by learning from your mistakes, this is all fake," Selene mutters. The rest of the group made noises of agreement.

"Well, even if you beat her in a fight, she wouldn't care. At the tech, it's the skill of the trainer that counts, not a win of a single battle," Joe said as they stopped at a machine.

"Ok, what does it mean that I have two badges," Ash said as he took out his badges to show him.

Joe just shrugs, "Giselle is the top beginner here at the academy, that is better than having three badges," He said simply.

"Uh-huh…."Michelle said unimpressed.

"Even though I am at the bottom of my class, I still am better than anyone with two badges," He said.

Misty's eyes twitched as she gently stepped up in front of Ash, "Now wait a minute, I learned how to battle at the Cerulean Gym, you think you can beat me?" She asked sternly.

"Oh, the Cerulean City, they gym specializing in water type pokemon, I always beat the gym in the simulator," Joe said simply.

"A simulator is not the same thing as a real gym battle!" Misty said in annoyance.

"A computer is only programmed to act a certain way, a gym battle has many outcomes," Selene said after her.

"Even things that seem impossible can happen," Michelle said with a nod.

"They're right, let's battle!" Misty said as she took out her pokeball.

Joe just shook her head, "Alright, but you'll be sorry."

"I have the Cerulean Gym to defend and I'm going to defend it!" Misty said with a snap before the two got onto a battlefield. Brock, Ash, Selene, and Michelle all were on the sidelines with the others. "Let's go Starmie!" She called before releasing her precious water-type pokemon.

"Your Starmie won't defeat my Weepinbell," He said as he let his own pokemon out.

"Starmie go!" Misty said as her pokemon used water gun. The aimed attack had hit its mark and sent the grass-type pokemon flying. Joe looked at her confused and shocked.

"What happened, Weepinbell is strong against water," Joe said in confusion.

"True but one thing you didn't know, your opponent is from the Cerulean City Gym, her pokemon has more experience than yours. You should've known that" Came a snobbish voice as Giselle came in with the 'friends' of Joe.

Michelle mutters, "Oh great, we got ourselves a Vespiquen."

"You're an embarrassment to the whole school," Giselle continued.

"But Giselle-" Joe said trying to defend himself. Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Brock was blushing at the new girl. Giselle had ignored the boy as she continued to talk about herself highly.

Giselle then went up to Joe, "I want to continue to help my fellow classmates be the best that they can be, to treat each other with respect, and help grow the pokemon of tomorrow but, you are a weakling!" You better get stronger fast or your fellow students will turn their backs on you for good," She scolded before starting to turn away.

"That's it!" Michelle snarled as she her cool persona snapped, "Weakling you say? The only thing I see is a kid who has been taught a certain way but isn't very good at it. A person who is struggling without any help, and why is that?" Michelle asked before marching her way up and pointed a finger in her face. "Because of little BRATS like yourself. YOU say you are a humble person, but after that rant, you are anything BUT! You are egotistical and narcissistic, just because you have a pretty face but seemingly the best trainer in your grade, well news flash honey, this isn't the real world, this is a tiny box that only shows you so much." She said before continuing, "The real is a much harder place then this, a place where if you try and be your best on your lonesome would get you crashing down in flames with no one to help you out from the wreckage!" She then started to jab the girls face as she finished up her speech, "Because here's the thing, you are not perfect, you are a human being who makes mistakes, and will not always win. With that attitude that you are sporting right now, no one will be there to help you!" After she let out the burden in her chest, she walked off to be with Luke so she could calm herself down.

Ash just blinked before Akiko, who had made her way to the ground during the speech, hissed at the girl before running back to her friend.

Giselle just watched her in shock, it was like a mortal wound to the gut. After the barrage from Michelle, Misty stepped in again. 'A true friend wouldn't leave a friend stranded when they need help the most, you remind me of an old proverb that says beauty is only skin deep.

Giselle snapped out of her little shock before retorting, "Neither is jealousy," She then turned to grab a pokeball. "Against your water pokemon, I choose Graveler!" Out came the enormous hunk of rock.

Brock had snapped out of his love bubble to admire the rock-type. "I trained him to overcome his weakness," Giselle said before the Starmie and Graveler began to fight. It ended with the Graveler pushing against the water-gun to break the gem in the center of Starmie. The Starmie then broke through the window and fell into the pool.

"Starmie!" Charlotte gasped as she watched the scene with wide eyes. She began to cry before hugging Nero tightly. Nero just growled in the direction of Giselle.

The whole battle left Misty pretty wounded as she saw her favorite pokemon get hurt so badly. She then rushed to the aid of the pokemon. She pulled the starfish out of the water and into her arms to comfort.

"Do you want to battle with another?" Giselle asked.

"There is a thing called restraint, a pokemon trainer needs to learn when enough is enough and not to go overboard, "Selene said as she folded her arms.

"Something that you haven't learned yet, we are supposed to be battling, not killing. Show some compassion," Michelle snarled angrily.

"There is more to training then calculating levels," Ash said as he finally stepped forward.

"Who are you?" Giselle asked as she interrupted him.

"I'm Ash, and you are hurting my friend's pokemon. You are not fit to be a real trainer." He said simply and harshly.

"I have to agree with my cousin on that one unless you change your outlook and attitude, then, in my opinion, you are no trainer," Michelle said.

"I'm surprised that you aren't training your Pikachu, I'm sure Pikachu is training you. Do you even have six pokemon? A real pokemon trainer usually has six pokemon to battle with," She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Having six pokemon doesn't mean anything. A pokemon trainer can have as much as he or she wants or likes, and they can have as little as they want on their team," Selene stated with annoyance.

"Quantity over Quality is not always better, people train differently. For Ash, he just happens to like quality more, not to mention they gain a deeper bond when they train together," Michelle added.

"Well it's a poor choice to have a Pikachu as your first pokemon," Giselle said and that resulted in Michelle giving off a low growl. Pikachu and Akiko made their own growls as well. The more the girl talked, the angrier Michelle got. Small sparks started to travel around her exposed skin, though nothing too noticeable.

"Enough talk, let's prove who is right through battle," Ash said sternly. Pikachu quickly went beside him as sparks started to fly off his cheeks.

"For your Pikachu, this should be more than a match," Giselle said before letting out her Cubone.

"My Pikachu is different than any other Pikachu and we'll teach you a lesson," Ash said before pointing his finger at her Cubone, "Use Quick Attack," He ordered. Pikachu nodded and started to speed up before tackling the Cubone, the motion had turned the skull backward. Pikachu then bit down on the tail of the Cubone as it was distracted. It gave out a cry of pain before trying to hit him with his bone club. Pikachu was too fast as he dodged the attack before scratching at his belly. The Cubone tried to get him away with his bonerang attack. Pikachu ducked before using Tail Slap. The attack made his skull spin again before it was back to its original spot right at the time where the bone came back and hit him in the head, knocking the pokemon down.

Pikachu huffed as he stood there, the Cubone then sat up and started to bawl. Giselle looked at her pokemon with sad eyes and bent down to calm him down. "It's ok Cubone, you did your best," She said gently before bringing it back into its pokeball.

"I guess she does have some compassion after all," Michelle said quietly when Akiko climbed down and tackled her brother in congratulation.

"None of the textbooks say anything about not using the pokemon's natural moves," She said in defeat.

"It was a once in a lifetime battle," Joe said from the sidelines.

"Don't try to copy it, he tends to be original," Misty said with a smile. Luke just nodded and gave a thumbs up to Ash.

Before anything else can happen, smoke started to surround the group. From within its dark capers, Team Rocket was starting to say their catchphrase.

"Oh no, not again," Michelle muttered. Before anything else can happen, Devi had escaped her ball and stood protectively over her group of friends. Meowth just started to laugh and he mocked the bug-type. Devi got angry and started to bounce around a bit before a crack was formed and a light came out of it. Soon giant drill like appendages came out and Devi had fully evolved into a Beedrill.

Selene's eyes grew bright as she looked at her fully evolved form. Xylon had escaped his pokeball when he heard all the commotion. The bird watched with awe as he saw the Beedrill. Devi then started to jab her drills in the air in a threatening way.

Meowth and Team Rocket flinched a bit as they saw the familiar Pokemon. "Oh look, the small bug thinks it can drive us away," Meowth said with a false mock. Devi's eyes glint before she quickly flew over and started to sting them and sent them flying without another word. After Devi sent them away, she had flown over to pick up Xylon and started to rub her head against him.

"Devi is a lover and a fighter," Selene said happily before hugging them both.

"Good for you Romeo," Michelle said with a chuckle before looking over at the small group.

"Well, it really seems like you can learn things that are not told in school," Giselle said before shaking her head and finally giving a gentle smile. "I'm sorry for how I acted," she said.

"I think I'm going to go home and start over like Ash," Joe said with a smile. Giselle then went over and talked to him and how she apologized for how she acted.

"Now would be the best time to just leave," Selene said as she let Devi stay out of her pokeball.

"Yeah," Michelle said before looking over to Xylon, "You can stay out if you want so that we can train, and you can spend more time with your girl," Michelle teased. Both Xylon and Devi blushed at her words.

"Well if you are going to train, then we should really get out of here," Selene said before pulling Michelle by the arm towards the other five and they all started to head out. They waved goodbye to Giselle and Joe before continuing on their journey.


	21. The Bulbasaur Duo

The group had found themselves lost in yet another forest. This one happened to have extremely tall grass. The group was starting to get tired and it wasn't until Michelle asked a question. "How is it that we seem to get lost in every forest that we enter."

"I don't know but I'm tired," Lottie says as she lays on the back of Nero, her eyes fluttering a bit in tiredness.

The group stopped in a somewhat cleared area. The grass going to Michelle's and Selene's thighs. Pikachu was chilling on Ash's backpack while Akiko was laying on top of Michelle's head. The group looked around and spotted rocks before heading to them. "Ah, a break," Ash said as he leaned against the boulder. Brock and Misty sat on two others. Nero sat under a nearby tree with the now sleeping Charlotte in his arms. Luke was by Michelle who sat down on a different rock and Selene sat down on the grass next to her.

Nearby there was a small stream and waterfall that a small Oddish was drinking from. Ash looked over and spotted it and smiled. "Oh, an Oddish!" He said happily. "Maybe I should catch it," He said as he thought out loud.

Misty overheard and quickly stopped him, "Wait! It's my turn now!" She said as she showed her enthusiasm. Ash was about to say something but then he stopped and let her go after it. Before the Oddish could run off, Misty took out her pokeball and released Starmie. The Starmie stopped Oddish in its tracks before Misty ordered Water Gun and then Tackle. The Oddish was out in no time.

"Aw poor thing," Michelle said as she watched.

Misty then got excited and threw the pokeball towards the unconscious pokemon. Though before the pokeball could hit its target, a green vine smacked it away. Michelle, Misty, and Ash looked over to see what had repelled it only to see two Bulbasaurs. One was standing in front of the Oddish in a protective way and the smaller one that was holding it in its vines as it tried to comfort it.

"Woah, two Bulbasaurs!" Ash said in surprise. The protective one started to growl and it kept its stance. It then charged at the Starmie and tackles it to Misty where it wilted in her arms.

"Starmie!" Misty said worriedly as she tried to comfort the starfish pokemon.

Seeing that the humans were distracted, the two Bulbasaurs ran off into the bushes with Oddish in their vines before disappearing from view.

"Well, that was interesting," Michelle said, "Except for back home, it is very rare to find the starter pokemon from any region in the wild."

Brock nodded. "It's a very rare sight indeed."

"Which makes me a little bit disconcerted," Michelle said.

"Why?" Misty asked curiously.

"Well, if you take away how those Bulbasaurs were acting, it makes me think that they have had owners once before. Though not now, especially with how that one was acting so aggressive."

"Poor thing," Selene said as she shook her head.

"I hate it when we come upon things like this," Luke said aloud from his aura speech.

"Yeah," Brock sighed.

"Well, let's get going," Selene said as the group then got up and started to walk again. After a while of walking around the group had spotted a long rope bridge that spanned two cliffs.

"Ok….rickety old bridge," Michelle said with a shake of her head, "Like that isn't a bad idea,' She said her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"It looks fine to me," Brock said as he went and tried the bridge out. It didn't break under his small test so he assumed it was safe as everyone walked onto the bridge ahead of him. Charlotte and Lottie were in the rear as they came onto the bridge last. The weight was too heavy for the bridge as a strong wind came through the cliffs and it swung the bridge back and forth. The rope twisted and snapped making everyone scream as they try to hold onto the rope. With one side hanging close to the water below, Ash and Selene had grabbed onto the more sturdy part of the rope as Luke quickly grabbed hold onto a strong board and took a hold of Michelle before she fell. Misty had lost her grip and grabbed onto Ash/s leg. Brock had lost his grip and fell off and into the roaring waters below. Since Nero was holding onto Charlotte, he couldn't grab the rope in time and both of them were sent plummeting into the water below. Selene cries out as tears sprung into her eyes as she watched her siblings get swept away by the fast currents below.

"Follow my lead," Luke said through aura speech as he helped Michelle onto his back as he started to shimmy his way over to the other side of the bridge. Selene helped Misty up from Ash's leg and the trio then followed the other's footsteps and soon they got over to the solid ground.

Ash was on his knees as he started to worship the ground for a bit, Pikachu had gotten off his back and looked at him to see if he's ok. Misty was beside Ash with her legs sprawled out as if she had fallen from exhaustion. Luke had made Michelle sit down not too far away as he started to check her over for any injuries. Selene just stood in the middle of the archway as she gazed down at the rushing water below a few tears were shed but she wiped them away knowing that her siblings and Brock would be ok. She had a gut feeling about it.

"Ok, Luke, I told you a million times already, I'm fine!" Michelle said as she got up and dusted herself off before checking on the small Pichu that was still clinging to her head. Luke just huffed and folded his arms as he looked at her, clearly still not satisfied with her condition.

"We...can't….stop now….Brock needs us…" Misty said as she tried to catch her breath.

Selene then glared, "Not just Brock, Lottie and Nero too," She said clearly annoyed before walking past her to start walking.

"Selene….everything will be alright, Nero knows how to swim really well remember, and you know that he won't anything happen to Lottie," Michelle said as she came to her cousin's side and tried to calm her down. Selene just huffed, this was just one of those moments where she needed to calm herself down by herself. Small static shock rippled through her skin but it was only for a few seconds. Michelle knew not to bother her if that happened.

The group then started a search for the missing trio. They began to follow the river from above until they found an incline that leads them to the bottom. All the while the trio kept calling the names of their comrades. As they walked, Ash and Misty went ahead of the group and got snagged into a net that flung them into the tree. Misty then shrieked.

"Get us down from here!"

Ash and Pikachu were struggling as they tried to make room.

Michelle just sighed as she looked over at her brother. "Luke?"

He quietly nods before jumping up the tree and used Metal Claw on the ropes above their head. He then caught the net as he hung from a limb of the tree before jumping down and letting them free.

"Thanks, Luke," Ash said with a smile.

"Yeah, thanks," Misty said with a nod.

"Ash, Misty, Selene, Michelle, Luke? Is that you guys?" He asked as he came out from a few bushes nearby.

"Brock!" Selene said before running up to him and holding him by the collar and asked a bit darkly," Where are Nero and Lottie! Tell me!" She then started to shake him a bit violently, as her temper was still boiling.

Michelle quickly went up and pulled Selene off of Brock to get him some air. "I suggest you tell her before she gets loose," She said to him.

Brock just swooned a bit and said, "Oh Selene, you can throw me anytime you want,"

Michelle sighed,"He did not just say that….."

"Oh he did," Selene said as her anger turned to annoyance. "Just tell me already!"

Brock then quickly snapped out of it before saying to her as Ash and Misty came over to stand by them, "Nero and Lottie are fine, they are back in the village, and playing with the pokemon."

"What happened to you guys?" Misty asked curiously.

"Well, we were being washed away by the rapids when a woman grabbed my hand and helped me up. Nero was able to grab onto a rock with Lottie holding onto his back as he pulled them both out. The girl who saved my life was extremely beautiful," he said.

"He says that about every girl he meets,' Michelle mutters to Selene while Misty was getting ticked.

"Go on," Misty said through her teeth.

"Well it's easier for me to show you then tell you," Brock said but before he could do anything else, Selene had grabbed him by the collar again.

"TAKE ME TO THEM NOW!" She roared before he quickly nodded and showed them to a log cabin by a lake.

"Oh," came a soft voice as a blue-haired girl came up to the group.

"Melanie, this is Ash, Misty, Michelle, and Selene, they are apart of my group," Brock said as he introduced everyone.

"Oh, so you're Brock's friends, he told me so much about you," Melanie said with a smile. At that moment, Lottie had come out of the house with a bunch of pokemon. She spotted Selene from the corner of her eyes and she started to run up to her as she yelled out her name.

"Selene!" She cries as she hugs her sister's leg in a death grip.

"Lottie!" Selene said as she started to cry and fall on her knees to pull her into a tight hug. "I was so worried about you," She sniffled before pulling away to kiss her forehead. "Where is Nero?" She asked before looking around.

"Oh, he's sleeping by the lake," Lottie said as he pointed to his slumbering body. A few oddish were looking up at the giant dragon type in awe.

"I guess I'll talk to him later then, I bet he used all of his energy to keep your safe," Selene said gently. Lottie nodded in agreement.

Misty smiled at the small scene that occurred before she took a look around the area and she spotted many different kinds of pokemon. "Wow, do all of these pokemon belong to you?" She asked Melanie.

"Oh no," Melanie said before Brock came in to explain.

"All these pokemon are here to rest, they have been abandoned or abused by their trainers," He said gently as he bent down to pat the one Paras on the head. It smiled.

"So I was correct earlier," Michelle said in thought.

"Yeah, that means those Bulbasaurs are here," Selene said.

"Melanie here helps them feel better to the best of her abilities," Brock said.

"So it's like a pokemon health spa really," Misty said in interest.

"Exactly," Brock said.

"I wonder who made that trap in the forest," Michelle asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that was me, I was trying to keep pokemon poachers and trainers away, they want to come in and capture all the pokemon when they are not ready to be caught," Melanie said apologetically.

"That is the right call to make, I sincerely approve," Michelle said with a smile.

"I promised Melanie that we wouldn't capture any pokemon here," Brock said as he took them to another spot of the camp.

"That's all well and good, but she doesn't have any control if a pokemon decides to leave with one of you," Luke said.

Misty had spotted the Oddish from before and walked away from the group. She then slowly approached the pokemon and went to her knees and said, "I'm really sorry about what happened earlier, I hope you can forgive me." The Oddish blinked before she said, "I shouldn't have surprised you like that, you must've been scared. The Oddish nodded. Misty started to get emotional before the rash Bulbasaur from before went over and tackled her butt. She fell on her face.

"That's rude to tackle people!" Misty said as she turned to look at the pokemon.

The Bulbasaur just glared.

"She's right!" Ash said sternly.

The Bulbasaur started to paw the ground like an angry Tauros. The smaller Bulbasaur from before quickly appeared and stood in front of his friend as he tried to calm him down. It was then that Michelle and Selene walked up to stand by Misty and Ash. The rash Bulbasaur then blinked as he saw the two girls and started to back up a bit in respect. The more timid one slowly started to walk over to Michelle and looked up at her. She smiled and leaned down and started to pet its head. It purrs happily. Hearing the purr, Michelle gently picked it up and started to hug it.

Melanie was surprised at the show of affection that these two girls were getting from the two usually distant pokemon. Selene looked at her as she raised a brow, "What?" She asked gently.

Melanie blinked and blushed in embarrassment for staring, "S..sorry, it's just that those two usually don't show that much affection, especially to people,"

"Oh, I see, that's a shame, I bet these two are softies deep down," Selene said gently with a smile. The once rash Bulbasaur started to blush in embarrassment and looks down at the ground. Its small friend continued to nuzzle its head against Michelle's.

"So, do you have a name?" Michelle asked the pokemon in her hand. Melanie just blinked as she watched her curiously. Though smiled as she listened. The small Bulbasaur then started to talk to her, "Bulba Saur, saur. (My name is Bardin.)" He said with a smile.

Michelle giggled and nuzzled him more, "So, you're name is Bardin, if I remember correctly, that means ironbark tree," She said as she showed her knowledge.

Selene just chuckled before seeing Nero stirring from his nap. She goes over to him and he quickly stood up and picked his sister up before spinning her around happily. She just squealed and laughed. "Nero! I was worried for you too," Nero just huffed as he sat her down and quickly looked her over before nodding in satisfaction.

Michelle took a second to look away to see Selene and Nero. She instantly talked to Luke, "See Luke, why can't you be like that? You are always a mother hen." She then looked down at Bardin.

Luke just huffed and folded his arms, "I am NOT a mother hen."

The sudden male voice spooked Melanie as she looked around in fear.

Brock quickly went to the scared girl's aid. "Don't worry, that was just Luke, he has an ability that allows him to speak English."

Melanie nodded slowly and clung to Brock which made Misty a bit peeved. "O..ok, but may I ask a question?"

"Sure," Brock said with a charming smile.

"Who is Luke…?" She asked.

Brock then facepalmed, "I'm sorry, I didn't make it clear, Luke is the Lucario right next to Michelle, he's from a different region. You already know Nero, he's a Haxorus and is also from a different region,"

Melanie made a cute 'oh' face and nodded before looking at Luke and smiled, "Well, it's nice to meet you." Luke gave a polite nod in return.

Ash then went up to Melanie and asked her, "So why was Bulbasaur being so rash?" He asked her.

"He's only trying to protect the pokemon here, He volunteered to guard our whole village," Melanie responded.

Michelle had Pichu on her head and she still had Bardin in her arms as she gave a whistle. "I'm impressed," she said with a smile. That made Bulbasaur blush again.

Ash blinked and gasped as Melanie continued, "He fends off enemies that try to attack the village, all the while looking after the ones within. He also guides the new ones into the village. He's the bravest pokemon I know,"

"That explains why he attacked me, he thought I was going to take Oddish away from the village," Misty said in revelation. Melanie nodded.

Bulbasaur started to growl as he tried to push on Ash's leg as he went past Michelle and Selene. Ash blinked,"So now what is he doing?" He asked.

"Well...as I said, Bulbasaur doesn't like trainers, he wants you to leave the village," Melanie said softly.

Michelle sighed before looking down at Bardin, 'is he always like this?" She asked him and he nodded in response.

"But we are not here to capture pokemon, just to help," Misty said as she tried to reason with Bulbasaur.

"It's true Bulbasaur, these are our friends," Melanie said as she tried to get him to stop.

Bulbasaur just continued to growl as he tried to push Ash away. Ash's facial features lightened up a bit and he bent down to his level and pets his head without fear. "You are the bravest pokemon I have ever met. I would love to have a pokemon like you, this village is lucky," He said and it struck a chord with Bulbasaur.

From the air, annoying voices were heard as a giant balloon came into view. "Great, it's Team Rocket," Selene said with a shake of her head.

Melanie blinked, "Team Rocket?" She asked confused. Selene and Michelle couldn't answer her before the clowns dropped their stadium-sized thing into an area nearby. The impact made the ground shake.

"Here we go again," Ash sighed as he stood up a bit.

"Welcome to Jessie's Flying Stadium," Jessie said as she struck a pose. She was then pushed by James.

"The stadium was my idea," James huffed as he folded his arms. Meowth just rolled his eyes before poking a button and a giant hose came out of the grey structure.

"Would you idiots get a life!" Michelle hollered angrily. Team Rocket just stuck their tongues out to her.. "Real mature," She hissed.

"They never run out of ideas do they," Ash said as he tackled the Staryu down so that it wouldn't get sucked into the grey hose. Brock had made his way to the cabin and ushered the others inside. Everyone was heading inside before Misty let out a scream.

"No Oddish!" She hollered as she tried to keep herself grounded. Bulbasaur quickly came to the rescue and used his vine whip to grab Oddish before it was sucked up into the machine. It then reeled it back in and brought it close to his body.

Misty sighed in relief before Ash shoved the Staryu to her before telling her to get inside. He then started to make his way to Bulbasaur. He went down and started to help push him in. Michelle watched from the doorway as she helped urge the two in. Misty then shut the door so that the wind didn't do any more damage.

Selene helped put Akiko down as Michelle put down Bardin. "We'll be back, I thought I saw another pokemon out there," Selene said before darting out the door. Michelle nodded and told the others to stay there.

Once outside, Selene and Michelle went into the forest and behind a group of dark trees. Team Rocket started to cheer and laugh as they thought that they had retreated. Selene just rolled her eyes. "Idiots,"

Michelle smirked,"This is going to be fun," She said before she morphed herself into her Pikachu form. She looked like any other female Pikachu, well besides the red eyes of course.

Selene nodded and then rushed back out with Michelle by her side. Jessie raised her brow, "Back again? Why so soon?" She taunted.

"Got a new pokemon for us to steal?" James taunted.

Meowth narrows his eyes,"Where's the other twerpette,"

"None of your business," Selene snapped before she 'ordered' Michelle to use 'Thor's Hammer'. The Pikachu grinned as she used a quick attack before leaping into the air and used a combination of Irontail and Electro Ball as she hit the hose. The hose freaked out before exploding.

The trio gasped at the power before Selene looked at them with a death gaze. " ."

"Not in your life twerpette," Meowth said as he snapped out of his awe.

"Pika chu chu PIka (I would do as she says.)," Said Michelle to Meowth.

Meowth just flinched. The female Pikachu smirked.

"I warned you," Selene said with a nonchalant tone. "Thunder bold," She said simply.

Michelle just smirked sadistically in her Pikachu form before screaming, "PIIIIKKKKKAAAACHUUUUUUUUU!" A loud rip of lightning came crashing down on the 'stadium' and it burst into pieces as it sent Team Rocket flying.

Selene threw a pokeball as Michelle scampered off into the woods to change back into her human form. The only thing that the others saw was that Selene had brought back her Pikachu. It wasn't long before Michelle came out of the woods and to Selene's side. The others then came crashing out to ask questions about the Pikachu.

"I don't let her out often, she doesn't like to show off much," Selene shrugged a bit. "I've known that Pikachu for most of my life,"

Michelle nodded,'Yeah, I remember that day,"

Melanie then spoke up, "Since everything is finished, is everyone ok," She asked gently.

Selene and Michelle nodded a yes. Brock gave a thumbs up, Misty and Ash said a yeah. Nero, Lottie, and Luke just nodded their head. The pokemon that resided in the village cheered happily in unison to show their happiness and welfare.

Bulbasaur then went over and nudged at Ash's leg. A smile on his face as he said,"Bulba saur saur. (Please take me with you.)"

Michelle smiled, "Ah, he wants to go with you,"

Ash blinked before looking down at Bulbasaur happily,"You really mean it?" He asked.

Bulbasaur nodded before he used his vine whip to grab an empty pokeball and opened it before going inside it. It closed and shook for three times before a loud ding was heard. Signaling that he now was Ash's pokemon.

Michelle then smiled as she looked down at Bardin, "You wanna come as well?" She asked. The Bulbasaur nodded as Michelle took out a pokeball and gently tapped it on his head. It wasn't long before Bardin came out as her pokemon.

Melanie smiled and looked at the group. "Thank you all for saving this village, we will always welcome you back, please come back soon. Goodbye my friends," She said before the rest of the pokemon villagers cheered as the group went on their way.


	22. Big, Small, and Shiny

"Look at all these spearows!" Lottie said with stars in her eyes. She was watching them from on top of Nero. The two were sitting on a rather large tree stump. The bags of their traveling group was bundled beside them on the ground. Nero just grunts and nodded as he looked over to the flock of bird-type pokemon. Ash smiled as he too watched them from the distance before looking at Brock and Selene.

The two were pointing at a map and was discussing where they should go next. Pikachu hopped up onto the stump where Ash sat and turned to look at his sister. Akiko was perched on top of Michelle, as usual, as she looked around their little resting spot with Luke beside her. Misty was kneeling on the ground by Nero and Lottie as she glanced over at Brock in thought. A sort of fleeting longing in her eyes. It wasn't long before she abruptly sighed, "I can't stand this any longer! We have been lost for ten days!"

Selene looked up from the map and playfully rolled her eyes at Misty. "We aren't lost, we were training. Ash wanted to be ready for the next gym at Viridian City," She reminded her as she placed a hand on her hips.

"It's not like we are in a rush or anything. Plus I am advancing a whole lot farther in my training. Right, Luke?" Michelle asked then looked over to Luke Luke nods with a proud look on his face.

Brock was listening into the conversation before he blinked. He then pointed to Misty's shoe. "Um….I think there is a bug on your shoe," He said before being cut off by a shrill scream from Misty. The redhead jumped high enough to land on Nero. Nero gave a startled grunt and a small growl before picking her up and dropping her. She winced as she landed and looked up at him sheepishly. She turned to Brock who said, "Oh, my bad." He then chuckled, "It was just a leaf."

Misty squinted her eyes before quickly getting up and slammed her foot into Brock's face and he fell back. Misty held her face and sighed," I can't stand this anymore!"

After helping Brock up, Ash took the map and looked it over. Selene, Nero, and Lottie went over to make sure Brock was ok. "From what I see on this map, route 23 leads to Viridian City. It says that the road we are on goes into that route, "Ash said as he looked up.

Misty's eyes gleamed, "Really?!" She asked excitedly. "Let's go!" She then stood up and grabbed her bag and bolted down the dirt path ahead of them. The gang quickly grabbed their bags before following her lead. It took only a few minutes until they reached her side. Misty stopped to look up at a rock that had a very strange sight on it. Three Charmanders were looking down at the group. One was bigger than the other two, one was mostly yellow, while the last one was the smallest and the weakest by looks.

"What in the Reverse World?" Michelle exclaimed with Brock, Misty and Ash giving her looks. "I know finding three charmanders in the wild isn't strange back home, but I know it is here, especially since the girl one is a shiny." She explained to the three.

"They shouldn't be out here, it's gonna rain," Lottie said sadly as she motioned to the dark rain clouds that were moving in.

Selene nodded, "We need to get them out of here, one is really thin, another is bruised and the smallest male is obviously sick due to its flame being so small.

Before any action was made, the three charmanders were starting to argue amongst themselves. The eldest boy and the female were trying to persuade the youngest to leave. Pikachu and Akiko cocked their heads to the side as they listened into their conversation, they scampered up the rock to try and talk to them.

Brock, Ash, and Misty blinked as they watched in confusion as their conversation continued. Luke saw the dilemma and started to explain through his telepathy. "Pikachu and Akiko are asking why they are fighting. The oldest male is explaining that they were left there by their trainer and was told that he'll be back. The youngest still thinks that he will, but the other two are trying to convince him otherwise," He said.

Ash clenched his fist, "Obvious by the looks of them, they've been abused and are now abandoned." Selene and Michelle nodded angrily.

"Who would ever do such a thing?" Misty asked forlornly.

"Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who view Pokemon as only tools instead of living beings. So if they don't work the way they wanted to, they'll throw them away the first chance they get," Michelle growled

The grey clouds that Lottie had seen earlier was now among and Akiko's electric sacks on their face started to crackle and spark. Michelle felt some electricity at her fingertips as well, while Selene was in the rolls of her yellow hair.

"I think you three should come with us before the rain starts," Michelle said to the charmanders before looking at the youngest. The two older charmanders nodded but the youngest one was still looking hesitant. Michelle frowned softly before going up to the rock and in her most convincing voice, she coaxed the young one to join. After getting a reluctant nod, Michelle went over and got the larger male. Selene had walked over and gently took the shiny female into her own arms. Ash had come up after her and looked at the youngest one. He gave a gentle smile before opening his arms welcomingly to him.

"Here, I'll keep you safe and warm," Ash said gently. The Charmander nodded before weakly leaping into his arms. He then wrapped his vest around the frail creature. It wasn't a moment later when a loud crash from above was heard and down came the rain. Pikachu quickly hopped onto Ash's shoulder before they started to run down the path. Akiko was now on Michelle's shoulder as she ran beside him. Selene was right behind, while the others followed behind.

"There's the Pokemon Center!" Ash exclaimed as he used a free hand to point to the lodge-like building down the road. They soon came through the door and rushed over to Nurse Joy at the counter. They gave her the three hurt Charmanders and soon they were rolled to the back. As the local Chansey made sure that the three pokemon were not gonna run, the Nurse Joy looked to the three who handed them over. She was gonna scold them for the mistreatment, but the three then told her that they founded them in that condition.

The Nurse Joy nodded and excused herself to work on her patients. The trio nodded and met up with the rest of the gang who went and got something to eat.

"Here's some nice hot soup,' Misty said to the three as she went to them and handed them three hot steaming bowls of soup. After getting a chorus of thank you's, Misty turned to Brock and raised a brow. "Do you want some, Brock?" She asked.

Brock didn't seem to hear her at first as his head was in his hand and he was deep in thought.

Misty blinked, "Brock? What's wrong?" She asked in concern.

Brock finally snapped out of it before looking at her, "I'm just wondering who left their Charmanders on that rock in that bad of conditions…."He said before giving a sigh.

"Whoever they are, they better hope they don't run into me or Luke," Michelle said with a huff in between spoonfuls of soup. Luke nodded simply, but in his eyes were flames of anger.

"What a meanie!" Lottie huffed as she asked Nero to blow on her spoon to cool down the soup so that she could eat it. Her cheeks had puffed up as she said that and Nero just grumbled in agreement.

Selene was sipping at her soup when a sudden flash went through her line of vision. The whole pokemon center looked like it was out of a black and white movie. Her psychic vision honed in on a group of boys, all were grey in color except for one. He stood out like a sore thumb with his blue hair and his red goggles on top of his head. Just as fast as it came, the image was gone from her mind. She let out a groan and a few mutters before putting her head in her hands for a second. "I have a feeling that we'll see the culprit soon…" She said and the group quieted down. Misty, Ash, and Brock raised a brow at her comment but it still intrigued them.

Their silence was torn by a sudden and extremely irritating laugh from the pit section of the Pokemon Center. "Ok...that was irritating.." Michelle said as she rubbed her ears. Ash had winced while Selene gritted her teeth.

The group looked over to see the boy that Selene had just seen in her vision. "That's him, the one I saw," Selene said to the group. Not only was he the owner who abandoned the three, but also the owner of the loud obnoxious laugh.

"Tis a good collection ain't it," The boy said as he showed a mound of Pokeballs on the table to his small group of friends.

A red-headed boy smirked, "Way cool."

"You're the man Damian," Said a boy with a band on his head. His eyes glued to the Pokeballs before him.

"Yo, I thought you had three charmanders," Said the boy who was next to Damian. He wore two small hoops on his ears.

"Yeah, I had them. One of them was so weak he couldn't defeat the weakest opponents. The shiny didn't want to fight, and the big one fought against me every chance he got," Damian explained with a roll of his eyes.

When the group overheard him and how he mentioned that he had the three charmanders, they clench their fists and started to make their way to him and his crew.

"So what did you do with them?" Asked the boy with the earrings once more.

"I left them on some rock in the woods. The one was so clingy it kept following me, no matter how many times I left it. I finally succeeded by saying I would be back for it. The other two were so protective of the weakling that they stayed with it on their own choice."

"They're probably still out there as we speak," Damian said as there was a loud crash of thunder coming from outside. Him and his group burst out into laughter at the thought.

By that time, the gang was at the edge of the pit, looking down upon them. Ash, Michelle, and Selene were the ones looking down directly at the group. Their eyes glowing in anger. Ash and Michelle's had an intense glowing blue. Michelle bent down and grabbed Damian by the collar and lifted him in the air.

"What the heck do you think you are doing?!" Damian yelled as he tried to get away.

"What am I doing? I"m dealing with a no good brat who does not even deserve to have a Pokemon. You had THREE Charmanders under your care and one of them was a SHINY. Do you have any idea how rare that is? POKEMON are not OBJECTS or TOOLs. They're living beings with thoughts, emotions, and opinions. What you tried to do can be classified as MURDER. Yet you don't give a freakin' care!" She yelled, some spit going onto his face. Then her voice got eerily low and she growled so that he can only hear, "You disgust me," She then let him drop back on to the seat. Lottie had climbed down so that she stood in front of the Pokeballs so that he couldn't grab them and escaped.

"Hey!" Growled Damian's cronies who jolted to their feet when they saw their friend being dangled and then blocked by a little girl.

A few guys had launched themselves at Michelle, but Luke quickly subdued the guys by knocking them away before they landed a finger on his sister. Nero had jumped down and onto the sofa below, he charged at the one with the headband and picked him up. He pulled him close to his face and growled quite darkly. The boy only had time to let out a meep before being thrown to the side. Lottie had snuck over to the boy with the earings and leaned up and yanked on his earrings. A loud screech was heard before Lottie was pushed out of the way and onto the ground where she growled and began to cry.

Ash heard Lottie and quickly went over to subdue the guy who had hurt her. He had pushed him out of the way before gently bending down and wiping her tears. He gave her a knowing look and she stopped crying and gave a grin. The two then looked at the piercing boy and grinned darkly before creeping up on him again to hold him down. Selene smacked the redhead in the face, it left a huge red mark that would last quite a while.

Nurse Joy had walked in to check up with the group when she saw the commotion, she gave a gasp. Brock and Misty who was still above the pit, looked over to her and explained as to what was going on.

"Nurse Joy, could you call Officer Jenny, please? This brat has not only abused and abandoned his pokemon without releasing them, but he is also using and carrying more than the allowed limit of Pokemon that the league allows," Michelle said sternly as she kept a good grip on Damian.

Nurse Joy quietly nodded before scampering off to call Officer Jenny. Selene was rummaging in her backpack after making sure that the redhead wasn't gonna run. She soon pulled out some rope and tied up Damian's cronies. Michelle had let Selene tie up Damian as well. Damian and his crew looked up to see Nurse Joy's Chansey peering down at them from over the edge. In her eyes held a glint of hatred, they gulped in fear.

Nurse Joy soon came back and dusted her skirt off, "Officer Jenny should be here soon," She said to the group. She then turned to look at the boys. "You boys should be ashamed, no Pokemon or human for that matter wants to be treated like that," She scolded.

Lottie had placed her hands on her hips and gave them a raspberry. "Yeah!" She said. Damian was gonna spat a response when they all heard a distant rumble. The sound proceeded to get louder until the automatic sliding doors of the Pokemon Center opened. Through the doorway came a blue-haired lady on a motorcycle. A Growlithe in the side-car. The motorcycle came to a screeching halt before the group who stood by the fire-pit seating area. Lottie gave a yelp and a jump before climbing onto Nero's back. "Officer Jenny!" Lottie said as she gave a grin. "You came to take away the meanies!" She then proceeded to clap.

Officer Jenny chuckled as she got off the bike, her partner trailing behind her. "So tell me, are these the criminals?" She asked as she looked over to the boys who were tied up.

Michelle was going to say something but Brock had run up to the officer and got on his one knee. His hand grasped her gloved one. "Oh, you beautiful maiden, how you graced us with your presence. You exude power along with beauty-" He said in a suave voice before he felt a pain in his ear. A cry of pain was heard as Misty started to drag him away by the ear.

"That's enough!" Misty said before giving Officer Jenny a sheepish smile as she pulled him away. Both Selene and Michelle gave a sigh. Ash was blinking at what just happened. Lottie had let out a laugh and Nero chuckled. Luke just rolled his eyes as he went over to Michelle's side.

Officer Jenny was just blinking while trying to comprehend what just happened. Her eyes left Brock as her eyes traveled to where her partner was barking at. The Growlithe was standing beside the tied-up Damian. Damian just gave the little runt a roll of his eyes.

"Well….before I continue on what I was saying, are you by any chance related to the Officer Jenny in Viridian City," Michelle asked.

Officer Jenny gave another series of blink before giving a sheepish smile. She lightly waved at them as she answered, "Oh, yes, she's my twin sister."

Michelle's eyes twitched, "that makes sense."

Selene nodded, "Anyway, Officer, we have apprehended these boys because of their crimes. Damian is the mastermind. He abuses his Pokemon, has more than the legal carrying amount and abandoned multiple Charmanders in the rain."

Officer Jenny's expression changed to that of anger. "I will not stand for that kind of behavior." Her Growlithe barked in agreement. She whistled and a few other police officers came in with handcuffs. "Book them, boys," She ordered them before turning to Nurse Joy. "I"m letting the Charmanders stay in your care until they are better." Nurse Joy nodded. The officer then looked to the group that had reported Damian. "Thanks for the help, you won't be seeing them for a long time." With that, Officer Jenny and her officers left the building. Damian and his crew were escorted out right behind by Officer Jenny's Growlithe.

It was only when the officers were gone, did Selene realize that the once crowded Pokemon Center was now empty. Those who had been eating there during the interaction had swiftly gone to their rooms to avoid any more conflict.

Michelle turned to Nurse Joy and asked, "Would it be alright to see the Charmanders now, please?" Her eyes lit with hope.

Nurse Joy nodded and smiled, "Of course, during the ruckus, I had let the Charmanders listen in to the conversation. They are resting right now, so no roughhousing," She said gently before leading the group to where the three were.

Inside the room where the three Charmanders lie, they woke up as they heard footsteps near the room. The door opened and the group entered slowly and quietly. The three then went up to the table where the three were. The biggest one watched warily at them, the Shiny one had curled up closer to the smallest one to make sure that he won't get hurt. Selene gently reached out her hand to the yellow Charmander. "It's going to be ok now. That awful boy is going to be gone for a very long time. He won't ever hurt you three ever again." The girl blinked before moving her head to rest on Selene's palm as a sign of a thank you.

Michelle, who was next to Selene, had smiled at the biggest boy. "Hey big guy," She said gently. The Charmander stopped glaring and looked up at her now with curiosity. "You don't have to worry about the other two or yourself. Nurse Joy is gonna make sure that you get better. Plus like my cousin said, that jerk will never be able to bother you again. Though I must say that scaring the heck out of him was satisfying," She said with a smirk. With a quick glance to Nurse Joy, she made sure that she wasn't watching her, she flashed him her fangs. The Big Charmander's eyes went wide.

Meanwhile, Ash had gone to the smallest one. His face was that of relief but also sadness. "You are going to be ok, he wasn't right to you or your friends. Though you are safe now," He said gently. The young one nodded and cried softly before it hopped into his arms and began to nuzzle his face. Ash gave a chuckle and nuzzled it back to show it meant every word he said. Misty and Brock watched with a tearful smile, while Lottie watching with happiness. Nero just nodded with a grin, he was satisfied at the ending and so was Luke.

Nurse Joy then stepped toward them, "Ok, now it's time for all of you to rest. You can see each other in the morning," She said softly as she gently ushered them away from the three. The group nodded and as they left the three said goodbye to their respected Charmanders. Soon everyone went into the rooms for the night.

Selene had barely slept a wink. She had been looking out the window and was thinking of the Charmander she befriended. The sun was beginning to shine when she finally closed her eyes for some sleep. She didn't get enough sleep before Lottie had gotten up and tried to wake her.

"Wake-up Selene! We need to check up on the Charmanders!" Lottie said excitedly. Her excitedness woke up Nero who picked her up and looked at her groggily. He gave her a somewhat annoyed look before dragging her over to her own bed.

"Nero! Put me down! I want to go see the Charmanders!" Lottie said with a huff as she squirmed to get out.

The door opened not a second sooner as Michelle and Luke slipped in. "Lottie, you really need to stop trying to wake everyone up like that," Luke said in English to the young girl. Michelle nodded as she gently petted Akiko on the head. The duo had just finished their training session.

Lottie pouted as she folded her arms and lets Nero put her on her bed. He just grunts. Selene just sighs before sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "She has good intentions, but she also needs to stop," She said gently. Selene then reached over and shagged her sister's hair.

"Well since we are all up let's go see if the others are awake," Michelle said before heading out of the room with Akiko and Luke.

Selene nodded and got up to follow them. Nero and Lottie followed right after. The two were quiet before Selene knocked on Ash's door. There was a second of silence before there were a loud thump and a pained groan. Selene and Michelle winced from the sound. The door then opened and there stood a groggy Ash. Pikachu was standing next to him as they both rubbed their eyes.

"Sorry Ash, we didn't mean to weak you guys that way. We just wanted to see if you were awake so we could see how the Charmander's were doing," Michelle apologized sheepishly.

Ash perked up almost instantly. "Yeah!" He said eagerly before going past the four and down towards the room where the Charmanders were. Selene heard a noise coming from inside Ash's room to see that Misty and Brock had woken up from his excited yell. They both peered out of the room from around the open door. Their expressions full of grogginess.

Michelle looked at them with a raised brow before saying to them, "You guys can go back to sleep. It might be a good idea to not overwhelm them so early in the morning. We will let you know how it goes later." Misty and Brock nodded before closing the door on them and heading back to sleep. Selene then started to go where Ash had run down, Michelle, Luke, Lottie, and Nero following right behind.

By the time the five others caught up to Ash, he was already holding the small one in his arms and telling him the ideas and his dreams. Selene though it was cute as she made her way over to the shiny girl. The Charmander's eyes brightened and she went to pet and cuddle with her new friend. Michelle came to the side of the table. The bigger male spotted her and gave a yell before tackling her. The two fell back laughing and it evolved into a wrestle. This lasted for a few minutes before she grabbed him into a hug. Both were clearly happy to see each other.

"Good morning everyone," Nurse Joy greeted them. "It seems that these three are going to be alright, they also seem to have chosen who they would want to stay with," She then clearly motioned to the three with the Charmanders in their hands.

Selene smiled bright and spun the yellow Charmander around. "Do you really mean it? You want to join me?" She asked, her eyes bright. The female Charmander nodded and squealed in a 'yes' manner. She nodded, "Alright," She said softly and took out the Pokeball she found in her pocket. "Here," She said gently. The Charmander nodded before gently butting her head to it. A flash of light engulfed her and she soon was enclosed inside the ball. It moved once, twice and on the third move, it clicked. Selene grinned as she let her new friend out. "I know exactly, what to call you~," She said as she gently booped the female's nose. "Your name will be Fia~" Fia smiled and squealed in happiness, her tail wagging excitedly.

Michelle then turned to the big Charmander, "Well, your friend is going what do you want to do?" she asked as she held out a Pokeball. The Charmander looked her into her eyes and then gave a small smirk before tapping the Pokeball with his paw. After the ding, she let the big guy out. Once he appeared, he tackled her in a hug. "Okay, welcome to the family. How about the name Carnell?" she asked with a returning smirk. He gave a happy cry as they hugged.

Ash walked up to the last Charmander. They both looked at each other as if they knew that there was a certain connection, almost as if fate had drawn them to each other. He held out his Pokeball to the Charmander and gave a soft smile. "Ready to join my family," He asked. Charmander nodded and pushed on the button with a finger. He was soon dragged into the ball. He went for his three rounds before his own click was heard. Ash eagerly let him out. "Welcome home," He said gently.


End file.
